


Miracles of a Forsaken Child

by Ysavvryl



Category: Shin Megami Tensei II
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Mad Science, Retelling, Speech Disorders, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-04-15 00:43:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 92,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14148207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ysavvryl/pseuds/Ysavvryl
Summary: For any Great Work, a creator must be patient with their creation.  Impatience will make any greatness fall apart.  Note: On glitch-induced hiatus, sorry.





	1. Early Memories

**Author's Note:**

> This story follows my retelling of the first Shin Megami Tensei game, 'Beta-Testing the Demon Summoning Program'. You won't need to read that one first, but the appearance and presentation of a few characters will make more sense if you have. As with that story, this is a somewhat loose retelling of the game of SMT II. There are simply some sections that are too grindy to make for an interesting story like this, and other parts where the limitations of the game (and the fan-translation I'm used to) make the story unclear. But I do think it is a really interesting story with intriguing character concepts. I had fun with writing this, so I hope you enjoy it!

"Do you remember anything from before today?"

"...Mom."

"I see. Do you remember your name yet?"

The young man looked up at him, the older one wearing a long scarf over his light jacket. The young one tried to get back to his feet, clumsily working to get them under him. "Aleph." Finding himself unsteady, he held his arms out to stay seated. Then he tried pointing to the man. "Meka."

"Close, I'm Mekata," he said, starting to move over to help. But then he stopped, waiting to see if he'd manage on his own. "And yes, you are Aleph. And him?" He gestured to one in a white lab coat, working with a computer instead of them.

Aleph looked over at the other man. His mind was buzzing, clicking links here and there trying to find where things were supposed to be. "Ha..." what was it again? "Nana."

"Hanada," the other scientist said, not looking away from his computer. "He shouldn't be having this much trouble with speech."

Clicking his tongue, Aleph felt like it was hard to speak. There were lots of words for things in his mind. Names were simple because that's what the person was. Or, who they were, that seemed more appropriate. But Mekata and Hanada were stringing together words to make more complex ideas. Aleph had to think through what was said before being able to respond, even with just one word.

"But he isn't going to be like the others," Mekata said. "It's easy to write on a blank slate, but with all the modifying we've done to meet their specifications, it seems like some of the information straight up failed to get imbedded. We also had to take out their preprogramming so he can be his own person, but doing that," he sighed.

"I know it's dumb, which is why I kept saying that we should split from them," Hanada said, waving at them.

Aleph put his hands down on the ground, then set his feet to be more firmly there too. This should be simple, he'd done it before he'd fell. Why was everything so much harder for him? But then, there should be so much he could do once he could walk around like them.

Hanada kept talking. "I admit, I was intrigued by their proposal. His base skill line is going to start far ahead of everyone else and only rise from there. That is, once he gets pasts these basics."

"He's a person, please stop talking about him like an experiment," Mekata said, putting his hand on his forehead.

"But he is!"

Having gotten steady near the floor, Aleph stood himself up again. Careful… there was further to fall here. His torso wobbled and he had to get his legs straightened out more to keep balance. Then, he was fully standing up. Good, then he should be able to get to walking soon. He took a step forward and started to fall to the side again.

Mekata caught him this time. "Careful."

"Thank you," he said, since that was the thing to say. He found his balance point again while hanging onto Makata's hands, then let go and worked to keep himself steady.

"We'll go ahead and continue with the mental assessments, then," Mekata said. "What color is my scarf?"

Color? Aleph looked at the scarf; it seemed like it would be soft. There was a color, like sidewalks, metal, most spoons, the floor here. But the name of the color… "No?" he tried, not able to find the name.

Aleph was then brought over to the table to play with things or try to explain them. However, he only found a few words that he was certain of saying. He knew their names, mostly, and he knew 'thank you' was for when someone did something good for him. If he wanted something, 'please' and pointing would work. There was 'hello' and 'goodbye' too, but they weren't needed yet. But the most he got use from was 'yes' and 'no' since they could be used for most anything.

He got asked another color question, which was frustrating. It was a picture of shapes, which he also had trouble with. They were shapes, circle, square, triangle, but while he knew the shapes, saying the word for them didn't work out. And, to name the color of the largest triangle… he pointed out the shape in question, to prove that he knew what was being asked for. "Meow?" he tried, since he'd seen a cat that was that same color of orange.

"Cat is not a color," Hanada said.

Mekata rubbed his chin. "No, but the cat we had around the lab was orange and he did spend some time with him." He then tugged at his scarf. "What color is this?"

Now that there was a picture in front of him, Aleph could just point out the matching square there. "Mmm, yes."

"So he recognizes colors," Mekata said. "We'll have to focus his early learning on speech."

"Right, even if we do return him, nobody's going to want to deal with someone who can barely talk," Hanada said.

"It's an obstacle that has been overcome before," Mekata said, taking out more cards. "But for an accurate assessment of his mental capacity, these tests will have to be modified to account for that."

"Stop stating the obvious and get on with it," Hanada said in annoyance.

"Mmmhmmhmm," Aleph said, closing his eyes and pulling his shoulders in.

"It's okay," Mekata said in a gentle way, reaching over and patting Aleph's hand. "It's just a disagreement." He then set the cards in front of him in a line. "Now, try to put these pictures in an order that makes sense."

After looking at Hanada to make sure they really weren't fighting, Aleph looked to the cards. Makes sense… there was a boy with a pole walking, a boy with a pole with a fish on it, a boy at a house with a dog and a woman in the door of the house, a boy with a pole in a ripple of water with a tree, and lastly a boy at a house with a dog, a woman in the door of the house, and a fish in his hand. One two three four five.

Aleph swapped four to be after two, trading places with three. "Yes."

"Hmm," Mekata said, looking like he didn't understand.

"Mmm." Aleph pointed to the first card. "Two." Then the second. "Three." And the new three. "Four." And the new four. "Five." And the last. "Six. Yes."

He raised his eyebrow at that. "Ah… it's not the order of events you lined up, but the number of objects in the pictures."

"Yes," Aleph said, smiling since he understood now.

After a long time of this game of questions, cards, and pictures, Aleph was taken into the other room and allowed to have some blocks. That was fun; he stacked them on top of each other to see how high he could make a single stack. He hummed to himself and listened to the two scientists in the other room. Maybe if he listened more, he could make speech work for him.

"This isn't good; a number of his capabilities are at the level of a three year old. His language skills are definitely below that, which of course makes it harder to assess the rest. He may be at a toddler stage for emotional and social capabilities, given how he's reacted to us."

"So he's damaged then."

"Given how much tampering his mind and body have been through, I shouldn't be surprised." Mekata sounded disappointed, making Aleph pause in his tower stacking. Had he done something wrong in the tests? "We shouldn't have taken on this project at all."

"Are you kidding? This is something that's never been done before! Even if it never gets done again, we'll learn great things from him."

"Mmm," Aleph said, closing his eyes. Humming filled his mind; he followed it.

"But this is going to make things hard on him. He's not like the demonoids that we started with, creatures with animal intelligence. He's a human being!"

"Well what are you going to do about it? Go back in time and stop this whole Messiah project before we could start it? What's done is done and now that we have him, we should see what comes of all our hard work and study."

Something… moved. Aleph opened his eyes and saw that one of the blocks he'd been playing with was floating in front of him. Was that supposed to happen?

"But we're going to treat him like a person, right?"

Aleph poked the floating block. It dropped to the ground, rolling into his tower and making it all crash down. "Mmm." He tried to hum again, but it wasn't in his mind like before. Odd.

"Sure," Hanada said. "Besides, even if he tests at a toddler level now, he might have the mental capacity of a child who learns far easier and faster than an adult. He should gain his language skills if we just encourage him to talk. Before long, people shouldn't notice he's any different than them."

"We'll have to keep him indoors until he can pass as the adult he is now," Mekata said.

They didn't seem to be arguing now. Relieved, Aleph gathered the blocks to restack. What would Mom think now that he was big now? Come to think of it, where was she? "Mom?" Aleph asked, looking around. There were just two doors here, the one he'd come through and another that seemed to go outside.

She didn't answer. He gripped the block he had and tapped it on the floor. Where was he? He hadn't thought much of it because Mekata and Hanada were here. Focusing, Aleph tried to think back on what had brought him here with them.

He knew his mother's face and voice; soft impressions of her made him feel warm and secure. But then he was taken from her to sleep. When he woke up, he was big and all the words were in his head in a confusing way. Aleph had fallen as soon as he'd been let go, so Mekata helped him into a wheelchair.

There had been an explosion, a huge scary mess that gave off smoke, flames, and bad smells. Hanada joined them. "That's teach those dumb corporates, but we've got to hurry," he'd said. "Run!"

"Mom?" Aleph had asked, but he was pushed along to leave. Alarms had screamed, turning the lights all red. People shouted all around and she wasn't there anymore.

Mekata kept running with him, falling behind. They caught up with Hanada and entered a strange cold room. "I've got the Valhalla lab already set up, we can go ahead and start the next stage without the elders interfering."

"It'll be all right," Mekata told Aleph, patting his back as he had been crying. "We've just got to run now. It'll be better… wait, where's Hiroko?"

"I don't know, but we've got no time," Hanada said.

"But without her…"

Aleph had screamed as the lights brightened.

In the room with the kitchen table and blocks, Aleph's lip quivered. That had been before he woke up here, just a short time ago. "Mom?" he asked quietly.

She still didn't answer.

"Why are you still working on that project?" Mekata asked. This time, it was obvious that he was mad. It wasn't like their scientific discussions. "We're having a hard enough time as is keeping the demon population under control."

"Look, they have some great minds among their numbers. Can you imagine the progress we'll be making with their support?" Hanada was mad too.

"Mmm, no," Aleph said, shaking his head. He got back to his feet, much easier than last time. They should stop arguing, it was bad. Mom would help, if she was around to help. "Mom?"

"The project we got from the elders is horrible enough!" Mekata said, slamming something papery on a surface. "Demons would give us something even worse, I know it!"

"What's so horrible about…?"

There was a tremendous bang from somewhere.

Aleph's heart was instantly racing. What was that? Were things going bad again? But he knew what to do this time. You had to run away from things like that. There wasn't time to think carefully through his movements, so he bolted around the table and to the other door. He bumped into the door for going too fast; his socks were skidding too.

"Aleph?" someone in the other room asked, but he was too panicked to recognize who.

The door slid open and Aleph ran outside. Maybe Mom was somewhere out here and could make sure he got to a safe place with her. Things were safe around her; it'd all be good again. For now, he had to get away from whatever exploded.

After a while of running, he noticed that no one else was running. Maybe it was okay? He slowed unevenly, tearing one of his socks. When he turned around, he realized that this place wasn't familiar. He'd made a few turns, into areas that seemed quiet or unblocked. Where was he? A few people were in sight, but none of them were familiar. None of them was Mom. Crying again, he turned around. No, still nowhere he recognized. It was all tall buildings, tree-lined streets, colorful signs, and strangers. Music drifted out of a few windows, mixing chaotically with the sounds of a train clattering overhead.

"Meka?" Aleph asked, his voice shaking. "Nada? Mom?"

A horrible screech that made him cringe came from one of the windows. Glass shattered across the street as people started screaming and running. A nightmare beast had leapt out of the building, whipping its spiked tail and sending a metal trash can flying. It glared at him as the one person who hadn't run yet, snarling its distorted face and looking ready for battle.

Demon. You are to fight demons. You are given the power of miracles to help you.

Aleph clenched his fists. He wasn't sure how to fight, given that getting around was clumsy to do if he wasn't panicking. Yet, this purpose was clear. He was to fight demons. It pounced at him and he slid aside, punching it in the jaw. When it swiped at him with claws, it was painful, drawing blood. He kicked it with his uninjured leg, then bashed it in the head again. It bit at him, so he bit back. The motions were getting easier.

Then it knocked him onto his back with its tail. Aleph screamed, closing his eyes. What now? He was supposed to fight demons, but this was going badly. Why was he out here, wherever here was? Where was Mom? Strange sounds were in his head, trying to get his attention.

"Hey ya big lug, leave that guy alone!" an old man said. Aleph watched with watery eyes as the man in green attacked the demon with a sword. It was really impressive. After a couple more strikes, the demon was gone in a cloud of black that quickly faded. The man then walked over to him, putting the sword away. "That was a close call, but man, never met a guy gutsy enough to go biting a demon in battle."

Aleph burst into tears. He wasn't able to do what he was supposed to, and now he was in a lot of pain. He didn't know where he was, or where his mother was; this was the worst day of his life.

"Don't worry, I'm calling the hospital," the man said. "Be tough; that won't kill you."

It got even worse when a big noisy vehicle with flashing lights approached. Still screaming, Aleph tried to run; it hurt his wounded leg more and he fell again. Then people came out, stuck needles in him… he lost all feeling in his body and didn't know why. Then they tied him to some bed and everything got lost in a blur.

None of it made sense.

* * *

"Hey, you all right?"

"No."

Okamoto looked over the young man he'd rescued earlier today. He could be a tough bugger, that much was clear by how wildly he had fought that chimera. But then the way he screamed after he was out of danger… and right now, he was crying silently while strapped down to a bed in the intensive care unit. His injuries weren't that bad, but the way he'd fought the emergency crew led the hospital to suspect he was a drug addict on a bad high.

Actually, that probably was the case even though he didn't look like the usual junkie. No needle scars, his black hair neatly cut and clean, no bags under his green eyes. But the doctor suspected that he had been on a strong hallucinogenic. Probably one of those crazy designer drugs made from demon venom; some of those things could kill the user, but a junkie desperate for a high would still go for them. The demon-derived drugs were said to linger in a person's body for weeks, hence keeping him here where they could keep him latched down.

"What's your name?" he asked. "I'm Okamoto, the one who saved you from that demon."

The young man looked over at him. "Yes. Thank you. Aleph."

"You're Aleph?"

"Yes." He calmed down enough to stop crying.

"And how old are you?"

He had to stop and think about that. "Two."

"You mean twenty-two?"

"No. Two."

Definitely some brain damage there. "Why do you say that?"

His eyes shifted, thinking. "Yes?"

Maybe he should reword that. "Can you speak much beyond simple things like your name and numbers?"

"No," he said readily.

Rubbing his head, Okamoto pitied the young man. Once the hospital determined that he didn't have drugs in his system, they'd let Aleph go. Maybe even before that, as he had nothing but the few clothes that he'd been in: an old green t-shirt, some shorts, and torn socks. No money, in no condition to work… "You got a home?"

"Yes. Mom."

"You know her name?"

He thought about that. "Hh… ko…" he sighed in disappointment. "No."

"You know your home address?"

"No."

No way to get home unless his mother somehow found out he was here. They'd shift him to the slum district too, where it wouldn't be hard for him to find more drugs and mess himself up beyond repair. That is, if he wasn't there already. Okamoto had seen several promising young people lose themselves that way and he wasn't eager to see that again. He could just walk away from this and try to forget about Aleph. Could, but he couldn't bring himself to be that cold.

But what could be done? Rehab cost money, as would medical bills needed to help him recover. And even here in Valhalla, people of legitimate businesses would not hire an addict of this severity. Aleph could be sent to the Factory district, but Okamoto had never liked the place. He suspected something strange was going on there.

Aleph could also be registered as a Coliseum fighter. Even if he had been high, his talent had shone in that desperate unarmed battle against a chimera. The audience would get a kick out of a wild instinctual fighter; more traditionally trained gladiators wouldn't be sure what to do against him. Gladiators died often, which was why they wouldn't question an addict joining in. Aleph could be difficult to teach and present as a star; he'd definitely need someone to talk for him. But there was a big tournament coming, one where the winning gladiator would earn a citizenship in the Center for themselves and prestige for their trainer and manager. Not only that, but the prize this time around was a million makka, a million!

It was only in six months. Six months, during which he had to turn this troubled young man into a prize fighter. They were very long odds, a small chance at that championship.

But then, Okamoto loved the thrill of long odds.

"Say, I've been thinking," he said, going over to the side of the bed. Aleph watched him curiously. "You've got natural talent, but you've gotten yourself into a lot of trouble with this. I'm a Coliseum trainer, but I've got no students to train now. What's say you to this: I'll give you a shot at fame and a clean restart in life by training you up as a gladiator. We can build you up on demon exhibition matches until the big tournament comes around and we can turn you into a champion."

"Yes," Aleph said, not hesitating. Maybe he recognized he was in need of rehabilitation. Or maybe he just liked the idea of being a champion.

Okamoto smiled. "Good, then we'll make it official today! You'll now be my student and we can start up your training once they release you from the hospital. Maybe they'll even do that before the new year."

"Yes," he said, smiling back.

"Here, I think…" he found the remote to the television in this room and turned on the sports channel. "Yes, they're replaying classic matches this week. Looks like the focus today is on the first champion, Kazuya. Great, he's an incredible one, I can tell you some about him."

Although he was still strapped down to the bed, Aleph watched in fascination, like he'd never seen these matches before.

Of course, this deal meant that the hospital wanted Okamoto to pay for Aleph's medical bills since the young man had no way to pay for himself. And training would take a lot of money too. But the million makka would pay for that, and the fame would let him profit off taking Aleph in under his wing.

* * *

Aleph still didn't know where Mom was, but he had Okamoto now. And Okamoto had said that he'd train him to fight demons. Since Aleph wasn't doing so good at that, it was a good thing to stay with Okamoto, at least until his Mom found him. But first, he had to figure out how to get these shoes on. They had laces that kept coming loose.

"Have you tied your own shoes before?" Okamoto asked.

"No," Aleph said, trying to twist the strings together.

"Here, let me show you." He knelt down with a grunt and helped Aleph figure out the knot. Once he saw how it should be done, it was simple enough. Okamoto still made him undo it and make sure it was tighter. "Seems like you have a lot to relearn. But that's fine, I'll get you in shape." He patted Aleph's arm when they got the shoe tying done. "Good, now let's go jog out to where my gym is. We'll be living there."

Once outside, they started running. Aleph had to keep at a slow pace to follow Okamoto and not get lost again. Unlike before, this running was fun and made him feel better just doing it. They ran by the place where they had met; the window was boarded up and no demons were around. Continuing on, they followed a long road that left the part of the city where the hospital was. It led to an island with a smaller cluster of buildings. Since there was no road further on, the gym had to be here. What was a gym?

Okamoto stopped at the end of the long road, before they got into the island's little town. After catching his breath (something Aleph had no trouble with), he pulled out his phone. "You were a little clumsy at the start, but looks like you found your pace. Okay, I'd like to know where you're starting out at so," he looked ahead and pointed to the other end of the island. "This place is small, so I know it's about a half mile out to the edge of the water. Run there and run back here. Ready?"

"Yes," Aleph said. Getting used to being big like this had just taken some exercise. He'd prove himself good since Okamoto was being nice enough to take care of him.

"Go!"

Aleph sprang off, moving over to the sandy area. Some of the concrete areas were cracked, so the sand would be better to run on here. A few people were out walking on the beach, but they kept out of his way. Running was great, and here he had a wide open area to go across as fast as he could. The air was salty and smoky, no demons were around. Overhead, spotlights cast plenty of light to see by from the massive walls further away. He got to where he stepped in the water, turned around… this was much easier with these shoes, even if they were an extra weight. Then he ran all the way back to Okamoto, who was waiting for him at the end of the road.

When he got back, Okamoto was smiling and laughing. "Good going, Aleph, you must've had some track training before!"

"No," he said, smiling at the praise.

"You don't even look worn out; pretty good for someone who just got out of the hospital. I know I was right to stick with you; you're definitely champ material for speed at least. It could be a good start on training funds to have you in some footraces." He pointed over to a three-story building nearby. "My gym's right there. Old place and not actually that great. But we'll make the best of it. Come on; if you're not tired, there's a couple other things I could check you out on."

It wasn't like the tests Mekata had for him. This was punching a bag, or lifting something heavy, or doing stretches to see how far he could reach without moving his feet. For some reason, it all really impressed Okamoto. It was normal stuff, wasn't it? At any rate, Okamoto said that it shouldn't be long before he could take out demons without the trouble he'd had against the chimera. That was good, it was what he was supposed to do.

In exchange for all this, Aleph just needed to get really strong and win something called a Championship. Okamoto seemed to think he wouldn't have trouble, so Aleph agreed to work towards that. Maybe if he did something great, his Mom would show up to praise him too.

* * *

Even though Millennium tried to replace all culture with its own, some holiday observances had survived. They were dressed up differently. But having watched human civilization for thousands of years, Lucifer expected that. This was New Year's Day and there were festivals going on in each district at whichever church was the main center of the community. He'd considered going to Holytown's festival since it amused him how that area had turned out. However, Valhalla promised to be the most boisterous this year.

He was currently using an enchantment to make himself less noticeable. There was a balance to this kind of magic. While the point was to become a subtle presence in the crowd, the Temple Knights were trained to watch for demons trying to blend in with humans. They knew how to detect invisibility or total ignorance shields. One had to be just uninteresting enough to avoid regular citizens and the knights.

Although in this crowd, there were enough humans with dyed or even natural blond hair that he didn't stick out that much. He watched them follow traditions that had been in place in this land well before the catastrophes had ruined it. They came mostly with family, to give offerings and prayers (although this was annoyingly to his enemy). Afterward, they pulled fortunes to see how the year might go.

There was a lesser focus on profiting on an event than a century ago. The habits of capitalism tried to creep in, but those in control of this community kept a death grip on every aspect of the lives of the citizens. Unfortunately, far too few of the citizens realized it. They saw demons as a danger that the Center was protecting them from. They even felt that the outer world was too dangerous for civilization and had no desire to see what was outside of their pyramidal prison. While he'd done what he could to thwart the Center, Lucifer knew this was going to be an uphill battle.

Lucifer looked around the crowd ignoring him, thinking… he crossed eyes with a young man who was looking right at him, one whose green eyes showed a bizarrely innocent soul. He was more innocent than the group of kids playing between them. Yet, there was a spiritual power in him that shone like a full moon among candles. Perhaps even a sun.

Who... who was that? It caused a chill in him to be noticed when he was trying to be subtle, and increased to realize how another extraordinary soul had been wandering around this festival without him noticing before. That power reminded him of someone from over two thousand years ago; the Messiah reborn? But no, that one wouldn't bear this kind of innocence, would have a different purity. It was like this soul had only existed for a week.

Some laughter between them broke their attention from each other. "But I wanted it to snow," one of the kids said.

"It's cold enough that you'd think the Center would let us have snow for the holiday," another said, then spun around. "Let's do a snow dance!"

"That doesn't work."

"But your prayers didn't either."

"Well the day's not over yet! It could still snow."

"Snow dance!" another kid said, spinning around and jumping. A few others joined them.

Just as Lucifer was thinking that it'd be amusing to trigger a snowfall though Millennium's weather system to make the kids think that a snow dance worked where prayers didn't, the innocent one across from him closed his eyes and hummed. The hum quickly filled the air in a way that would be inaudible to humans. The computers that controlled the weather were given instructions through the hum to shift over to a moderate snowfall in all of Millennium. While that would take a few minutes to get going, the hum also altered the air around the festival. Large puffy snowflakes appeared as the humidity rose to support the snow.

The innocent one's soul was bright with power, untouched yet by Law or Chaos.

The kids started shouting in delight. "It's snowing, it's snowing!" they called, excitedly running off to parents or other friends to tell them what they thought they accomplished.

While the one who'd actually performed the miracle was distracted by the snowflakes he'd summoned, Lucifer faded out of a physical presence. The Center had been encouraging talk of a Messiah lately. Was this the one they meant to present as one? But then, why was he here in Valhalla, the most sinful district of Millennium? They might have lost him, which was strange considering how controlling they were.

That presented a good opportunity to Lucifer, though, to observe this man and see what could be done to draw him to the powers of Chaos.


	2. The Hypercompetant Student

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somebody asked on another site which route this was following. Well the story is marked 'Tragedy', so this is 'Does Not End Well' route. Heh. Seriously, I'd say it's spoilers.

**Chapter 2: The Hypercompetant Student**

Over the weeks, the young man improved. And kept improving, even when Okamoto started thinking he couldn't do any better. It was astonishing, really. He broke the punching bag during one session, so they had to move him over to virtual training so he didn't break any more equipment. While the virtuals were more expensive, it got him ready to go out and earn makka by defeating weaker demons. A week after that, he could pass all the trials Okamoto had access to without being touched. Another week after that, he passed all the low-level public trials without a scratch and broke into the top hundred contenders in the virtual arenas.

Okamoto had been wrangling with a way to get them cheap access to the mid-level trials when Aleph somehow did that on his own. "Look," he'd said, pointing to the screen he was working at.

And it was the level 20 to 40 trials that weren't supposed to be available in a third-class neighborhood like this. "How did you do that?"

"Mmm." He started working at the virtual trainer's input pad. After a moment, he entered a password and somehow got into the VT's admin access board. He pointed out a menu that allowed for the level to be altered for the unit. "Look."

"You hacked your way in there?" Okamoto asked, making Aleph confused. "How did you get that password?"

"Mmm," after a moment, he bit his lip and shook his head. That was one way he wasn't improving. He knew a few more words, but hadn't yet managed to put together sentences. Yet, he understood what was being said to him just fine for the most part.

"We could get in trouble if they found out you got in here."

Aleph squeezed his eyes shut and began crying. He also had this really poor emotional control. "Sorry."

At least he didn't have much of a temper; Okamoto hadn't seen him angry yet. "Hey, don't worry too much," he said, patting his student's back. "If you do well in those trials, we could get away with saying that you earned the right into them. I do wonder how you got that password, though. They don't give those away easily."

That wasn't the only way he hinted at some genius hidden under the surface. Okamoto liked to visit the casino and try to get a bit more out of what little extra money he had. While he often ended up losing that extra due to luck, he liked long odds. There was always that chance he'd hit the big jackpot, which kept him trying. Aleph needed to be watched over closely as a recovering addict, but he could keep to himself at the casino's virtuals.

But one day, Aleph showed up when he was at the roulette table. "Bad," he said, but didn't seem too down or worried.

"What, is their virtuals machine down?" he guessed.

"Yes," Aleph said.

"Huh, well that's too bad. I'm afraid they won't let you play given the mark on your ID, but I'll just play a couple more rounds."

"Yes," he agreed, then watched as the roulette table started. Okamoto lost both bets, but he still had some chips. And one prize this time was a special handgun, a miracle glock. Just as he was thinking of doing one more round to win that for his student, Aleph pointed to R11 on his card. "Look."

"What about it?" he asked reflexively.

"Mmm," he said, scratching his head like he sometimes did when asked to explain things. Then the dealer nudged the wheel as part of her spiel to attract players. Aleph watched closely, then pointed to B19. "Look." Then she moved it the other way; Aleph's finger shifted to R2. The dealer probably wouldn't mess with the wheel again until the round started.

"You trying to make guesses?" Okamoto joked with Aleph. But he suspected something was curious about this.

"No," Aleph said, then made a spinning motion with his fingers. "Mmm."

"All right, I'll give it another shot for you," Okamoto said, putting the last of his chips on R2. Other players called bets, each one increasing the prize pool for this round.

"Last call, any more bets?" the roulette woman asked. "Alrighty then, let's give her a whirl, where will we land?" She pressed a button nearby that spun the wheel automatically, and dropped the ball in the outer ring a few seconds later. And the ball went right for R2.

Once the casino figured out that Aleph was somehow calculating the roulette results in his head (ten spins later), they refused to let him back in. The staff couldn't figure how he did it since the automated spinner and ball drop were both set to randomize movement. But then, Aleph had no way to explain it either. He had been right every single time, so they ended up with quite a windfall of good equipment for him and money for Okamoto. It was enough to upgrade the gym's virtuals machine to handle higher level arenas, even enough to officially register Aleph for levels up to level 80.

The natural thing to do next was to give him some firearms training. Guns were allowed in the official Center Tournaments; sometimes they even put them in dungeon scramble matches as potential equipment. And if Aleph could calculate a randomized roulette wheel, he surely could gain a sniper's eye for firearms.

That did not go as planned. He took one shot of the gun in the firing range and immediately screamed, dropping the gun. He nearly fled right out of the building.

Thankfully, Okamoto was in his way and could grab him. It took all of his strength just to divert Aleph's path so that he ended up crashing into the wall and stopping himself. "Aleph, calm down." He touched his student's shoulder only to make him shudder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trigger any flashbacks for you."

"Mom?" he asked. He usually asked for his mother when stressed or scared like this. He got nightmares an awful lot too, probably back to the bad highs. And sometimes, it was really hard to console him.

"She's not here," he said, which made Aleph start crying. "I'm sorry. We can take the rest of the day easy if you want."

But he had to get used to gunshots and other loud noises to be a good gladiator. Instead of giving him the gun lessons right off, Okamoto instead took Aleph to a public firing range to watch others with some ear protection on. He still got tense at what sound got through. But once he got more at ease, he started watching the shooters carefully. It was much like how he'd studied the roulette wheel, which make Okamoto hopeful.

It took a few days of practicing himself, but Aleph turned out to be the crack shot that he'd hoped he'd be. He was such a brilliant one in, well, just about everything that Okamato wondered just what got him on those dangerous drugs. But even if Aleph could explain fully, it turned out that he remembered very little from before they'd met. He gave wildly varying answers about how old he was, although he'd figured out that it was better to keep silent when Okamoto introduced him as being twenty-two.

But that brilliance was going to pay off in spades once the tournament came around.

* * *

Two months before the start of the tournament Okamoto was relying on him to win, they went to the Coliseum to register Aleph as a gladiator. They worked on the paperwork in the lobby. While the woman at the desk wanted Aleph to fill out the papers, Okamoto had called him illiterate and filled them out for him. Aleph glanced over the paper and was glad his trainer was doing so. The ones with the little circles to fill in seemed easy, but others wanted things written out. While Aleph had figured out how to make letters and words, putting them together into sentences was just as hard as speaking.

There was one thing that puzzled him. "What?" he asked, pointing to a question wanting a nickname.

"Oh, that's the name you'll go by in fights," Okamoto said. "It is important to get right. Some guys do use their actual name, but Aleph doesn't have quite the punch to seem like a star in the arena. It needs to be something catchy, something that would sound really good in a chant."

"What?" Aleph asked, confused at that concept.

"You can leave that to me," he said, smiling as he wrote. "I've been thinking about that for a while now and I've got just the right one for you: Hawk. It's a predatory bird that s quick and strong, much like you are. Not bad, huh?"

"Yes," Aleph said, mostly because Okamoto thought it was good.

Once the forms were complete, they went to return them. The woman who was registering him checked them over. "Okay, looks good. The rehab marking means we'll have to test you regularly for drugs during competition. And Hawk, is it? Are you meaning to participate in the Center Tournament?"

"Yes," he said.

She smiled at that. "Good luck, you'll need to work your tail off to get the required gladiator rank to get into the qualifying rounds in two months."

"That won't be a problem," Okamoto said confidently. "But are there any matches or challenges today he could start with?"

"Well, there is a rabbit race in an hour," she said. "You'll be in the system just in time for that one."

"What?" Aleph asked.

"You don't know about the rabbit race?" she asked, finding this odd. When he shook his head, she tapped her pen on the desk, "Ah, well then, it's a foot race with a particular challenge to it. We release a harmless bred demon known as a Hare of Inaba onto the track once the race begins. You can simply complete a lap of the long track to finish the race, but the challenge comes in trying to catch the demon rabbit and cross the finish line with it, preferably in first so that other racers can't steal it from you. Race completion is worth a standard amount of points, but catching the rabbit comes with a substantial amount of points and money from a pool that holds over race to race if the rabbit isn't caught. Would you like to enter today's rabbit race?"

"Yes," Aleph said. She said he needed a lot of points to get the right rank, so doing this race made sense.

"Alrighty, I'll get you registered. But a little warning: nobody's caught the rabbit in quite some time, so don't be relying on that."

In that hour, Okamoto gave him a careful explanation of how a race went. You had to stay at the starting line until a buzzer went off and the rabbit was let loose. Then you had to stay on the track until you crossed the finish line. And in this Coliseum, competitors saw it as acceptable to shove or trip their opponents even if that was fighting dirty. They wouldn't get in trouble for it.

Then, it was time for his first competition as a gladiator. He was brought out to line up at the start with eight other men. Some of them were very large with muscles, something that seemed familiar. "Zayin," he mumbled. He knew someone named Zayin who was big like these men. But, none of them seemed to be Zayin and he couldn't remember how he knew Zayin. He'd be out there somewhere, though.

Someone with a voice amplified over speakers gave an introduction to the racers, to many loud cheers from the crowd. Some seem popular and had the whole audience calling out support. Others, like a man with the frightening name of Bloodbeast, got booed for not being popular. Then, he got introduced. "And a newcomer from Okamoto Gym, in the number eight position, Hawk!"

The audience was quieter, giving a polite clapping for someone they didn't know. Aleph didn't mind it. But the man next to him snorted. "Okamoto? So some dumb fool really went with the old fart."

"Yes?" Aleph responded, since he had been training with Okamoto but wasn't sure why he was calling him a fart.

"I'm surprised your equipment isn't all rusted and full of holes," he said, making someone else laugh.

"On your marks," the announcer called, getting everyone at the line to quiet down and get ready, "Get set," Aleph looked to the box where a white rabbit demon was being held; it was scratching at the door, "Go!" The cage door burst open, letting the rabbit flee down the track.

The man next to him tried to trip him up at the start, but Aleph caught sight of it and jumped out of the way into his run. Almost immediately, he separated out from the rest in getting ahead of them. He kept his eyes on the rabbit. He was meant to defeat demons. But, they said this one was harmless. Defeating it in this context was catching it and taking it to the finish line. The cheers of the audience softened with anticipation as they realized that he was actually catching up to the Hare of Inaba.

Once the hare realized it, it tried weaving around to shake him. But it must have known it needed to stay within the track too. Aleph watched its motions, the way it zipped and zagged. It tried to keep out of reach, but if he slowed some, made it think it was evading him… it worked. It shifted its head towards a turn they needed to make to the right and slipped back to the center of the track. When it did that, Aleph sprinted ahead and grabbed it by its torso. It squirmed and kicked, nicking his arm but not drawing blood. He quickly tucked it under his arm and made the turn just in time to avoid getting off the track.

The crowd let out a tremendous amount of shouting, cheering, and clapping as they watched him succeed in the first part of the challenge. "Holy smokes, the newcomer actually got the rabbit!" the announcer called in excitement. "And barely a third of the way around the track too, with hardly a chance of the others catching up! This is incredible folks, we haven't seen someone able to touch the rabbit in eight years, and that one didn't even complete the challenge!"

The running part was easy, but keeping hold of the struggling rabbit was a chore. Since his competitors were built for matches of strength, he had a good enough lead over them that he could slow his pace. That way, he could keep ahead and secure his hold on the Hare of Inaba. It kept kicking at him, one time making him stumble. He grabbed hold of the rabbit with his other arm as he kept himself from falling, to make sure it didn't get away. Others began to catch up as he'd gotten stopped, but he was able to get back to running for the finish line before they could reach out and physically stop him.

When he crossed the finish line with the Hare of Inaba still in both arms, the audience was on its feet and screaming with joy. The rabbit's handler hurried over to him with the cage. "Hey, you want to hold him up for the audience? They'd like that."

"Okay," Aleph said, getting out of the way of the others finishing the race to hold the rabbit up before the audience. The cheering seemed just as loud, but there was a soft melody in his mind, telling him that they did like it. Then he helped get the rabbit back in its cage so it would stop fighting for freedom.

Best of all, Okamoto was overjoyed for him. This was a good start towards the Championship, but there was more yet to do.

* * *

Beth waited anxiously in the command room, watching over some security programs that really didn't matter overall. She was too distracted to do anything that required more work. After all, it had been four months and there was still no sign of Aleph. How could he just vanish into thin air? Did he get defeated by demons? She didn't believe that at first. After all, he and Daleth were the best of them. It wasn't clear which of the two was the best of all, although her opinion was that it had to be Aleph.

But after so long, she had to consider the potential that he had fallen to demons. But what was she to do, then? She was meant to be a support partner to Aleph or Daleth, and she didn't really like Daleth's attitude. Aleph was… it was hard to describe, but she just knew that he was nicer. More humble, less reckless. And she had so many good memories with him; she wanted to be Aleph's partner permanently, but the bishop insisted on waiting on something before making that official.

The door opened and Zayin called in, "Hey, look who we managed to drag in."

"Aleph?" Beth asked, turning around in her chair immediately.

"No, but I wish I could say that," Zayin said, coming in with two others. "We got Gimmel out of his work for when Daleth was checking in today."

"Do you know how much work it takes to maintain a place like Arcadia?" Gimmel said, carrying his harp in a transparent case on his back. "Especially in the poor conditions of the world as it is now. We got the interpersonal dispute system ironed out so that everyone is happy to use it, but then found an error within the forest support system that caused a large swath of trees to suddenly petrify. But we are coming closer to the ideal we want for the whole world under Millennium."

"You're getting obsessed with that project," Daleth said, dropping into a nearby station to make a report. He smiled at her. "Hey Beth. You really should come out on my training excursions. They'd be good for you; you need to keep up on your combat abilities."

"Maybe," she said, trying to smile. "I just want to be here for when Aleph gets back."

Gimmel patted her on the shoulder as he went by to grab a chair. "Don't lose heart, Beth, I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later. He still has surprises for us in him."

"Yeah, I know he'll be back," she said.

"Anything interesting go on this afternoon?" Zayin asked, bringing over his own chair.

There was something she was happy to tell them about. "Well, Valhalla had one of the rabbit races in preparations for the Center Tournament."

"You still catch every single rabbit race that goes on, don't you?" Daleth said, teasing her some. "Was it all rabbits or the chase?"

"Has to be the chase if it was in Valhalla," Gimmel said. "The all rabbit races are run in Holytown."

Beth nodded. "It was the chase. And, somebody actually caught the rabbit this time."

"Seriously?" Gimmel asked, more interested now. "They've been breeding some crazy swift rabbits in the past decade. Nobody's actually completed the rabbit race challenge in twelve years."

"Yes, but that changed today," she said, turning to her monitor to put up a video of the race for them. "It was a newcomer who signed up just this morning so he could get into the Tournament. They even had a pretty good rabbit in the race today, White Darner. Here's the race."

It didn't take long for Daleth to pick out the right racer, even though the stadium's cameras were distant from the runners. "It's that guy, right? None of the rest look remotely like runners. Why are they even in the race?"

While Beth shrugged, Gimmel said, "The way the ranking system is handled, the rabbit race is considered a safe investment match. Just completing the race gives a good ratio of points for a single lap on the long track, so most there aren't after the rabbit itself. They're maintaining their ranks or trying for that extra push to the next."

They watched quietly when the race began; the newcomer Hawk pulled ahead easily as predicted. When he got it, Daleth whistled. "Man, he even faked out the rabbit. That's pretty hard to pull on a demon."

"They're bred specimens, so they're very much on the dim side for demons," Gimmel said. "Still impressive."

"He reminds me of Aleph," Beth said.

"Could he be?" Zayin asked, looking to her.

She frowned. "I don't think so. When I thought he might be, I looked up his registry among the gladiators. He has a mark for being in drug rehabilitation, apparently a pretty bad case because he has a lot of restrictions on his card. He's even rated a third-class citizen in a low-ranking gym with a poor reputation, although he might get upgraded by the tournament if he makes the Coliseum ranks. That can't be Aleph, even if he is really good."

"A former addict wouldn't have many choices on where to work in Millennium," Gimmel said. "He's lucky to not be in the slums. Trying for the Championship is his only shot at escaping third-class."

"It'd be quite a feat if he makes it," Zayin said. "I just hope he stays clean; we don't need addicts within the Center."

"It'd be a good triumph if he does," Beth said. She'd already decided to root for Hawk. Given that he'd only gotten into the rehabilitation program a few months ago, he was doing very well.

* * *

Okamoto has said they were doing some different training today. It involved going to a building in the city across the bridge: the disco. As they approached the building, thumping music could be heard on the street. "Sounds like they got the bass boosters going today," his trainer said.

"Yes," Aleph agreed, although he wasn't sure what that was.

"It's going to be noisy," he said, turning to him and stopping. "And there will be a lot of people dancing in there. It's good exercise, plus a good way to learn dodging by trying to move across the dance floor without bumping into others. Just blend in and dance; I'll come find you when we're ready to move on."

"Okay," he said.

When Okamoto said it was going to be noisy, he didn't specify just how noisy. Aleph bit his lip as they got inside; the music energetically blanketed over everything. Some occasional laughs or calls barely broke out. Before long, Okamoto had slipped of to whoever he had to meet here. That left Aleph to doing some dance exercises.

How? He moved to the side and observed before entering the fray. Some of them were doing simple movements, swaying back and forth and waving their arms around. Others did much more, varying their moves and using more of their bodies. Around the floor, some people were even dancing as pairs, arms locked with each other in a way that seemed uncomfortably close to Aleph. After a bit, he noticed what they were all doing, or trying to do: make sure their movements matched the beat of the music.

That seemed simple enough. When the song changed, Aleph moved into the crowd and gave dancing evasion a try. It was quite a task, especially the further he got into the throng of dancers and was surrounded on all sides. He bumped into a fair amount of people and apologized, but they didn't seem to care. After a while, he noticed it was because the dancing was fun; little things weren't as bothersome. He tried a few of the more complicated looking movements, trying to keep to the beat of the song too. The color changing lights were strange, but not alarming.

Several songs in, a woman approached him. Aleph made a turn to the side to get out of her way in case she was working on dance evasion too. She just kept her eyes on him and moved to meet with him, offering her hand. Did she mean to do a pair dance? He was doing fine on his own. But he could try it out. Aleph took her hand.

She smiled at him, then pulled him closer. At least she had an idea of what she was doing; Aleph tried to match how she moved as best he could. Then she half spun herself around and backed up into him. He tried to back up for evasion, but that nearly made them both trip up. "Sorry," he said, hoping that it was audible.

She said something to him, but he couldn't hear it. She turned back around and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she disappeared back into the crowd. Why had she done that? It seemed weird to Aleph, and unfair to Beth.

"Beth?" he mumbled, wondering why he thought it was unfair to her. He could vaguely remember her. She was… she was important, he thought. She was supposed to help him. But while he could remember her, he couldn't remember actually meeting her.

Not long after that, Okamoto danced his way into the crowd and found him. He had a different style of movement from the rest, bobbing and weaving around the others. He gestured to the exit, which Aleph nodded to and dance-followed him out of the disco. "Did you have fun?" Okamoto asked, his breath getting labored. He didn't do well over long times.

"Yes," Aleph said. He spun around and showed one of the moves he'd learned. "Good?"

"Definitely," he said, happy with that. "Aleph, I've got a few things to say." He started walking, heading to their next destination. "Nobody likes a smug jerk or someone who is always boasting about their victories. You've been good and humble so far; keep that attitude, it'll serve you well. At the same time, you need good confidence to be a Champion. You have to know that you can win. And Aleph, I know you can win! You've been such a gifted and brilliant student, better than any I've ever had the pleasure of teaching. You are Champion material."

"Good," Aleph said. Some days of training were exhausting, but he enjoyed nearly all of it. He was even getting used to the gun.

"That's good, confidant yet humble," Okamoto said. "And really, you've come a long way from how I found you. I'm sure your mother will be really proud of you once she discovers what you've been doing."

"Mom..." it still made him sad that she hadn't come to find him. Where was she? Maybe when he got to be Champion, he could search around Millennium for her. First-class citizens who could live in the Center were able to travel all around the city freely as far as he understood it.

"Don't worry," Okamoto said to reassure him. "After the Tournament passes, we'll be free to spend more time tracking her down. It shouldn't be hard if we can get access to the Center's databases on the populations of Millennium."

"Thank you," Aleph said, smiling some.

* * *

Over the next month, Aleph and Okamoto went to the Coliseum almost daily to work on his gladiator rating. He'd gained some notoriety as Hawk with the rabbit race challenge, but he needed the proper rank to participate. He had to take on other challenges, in other races, in matches of strength, in dungeon runs, in virtuals matches, and even in one on one fights. In a few of the last, competitors were allowed to have demons as teammates. There weren't many who had demons to use, but they were particularly tough matches.

After that month of hard work, he got to the rank required for an upgrade to second-class citizen and a reward of an arm terminal. The official handling his citizenship upgrade was thorough and critical. "He's been attending to his rehabilitation courses regularly?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

Okamoto nodded and produced a note from them. "Yes, they say he's one of their better patients. And I'm with him all the time, so I can assure you he's not slipped once."

The clerk scanned over the note twice. "Hmph. And his Coliseum drug tests should have been regular instead of randomized..."

"Yes, they've done that," Okamoto said. It had been more needles and poking devices, but Aleph had gotten used to that.

"Ah yes, and… no detection." The clerk gave him a hard look. Aleph bit his lip and told himself not to get upset. Okamoto said that that kind of behavior wasn't like an adult, and he was supposed to be an adult now. So he had to be good. "And, no reports of trouble from police force. Very well, this doesn't happen often to those with this many restrictions, but we will approve the upgrade to second-class citizen." He then lectured Aleph on responsibilities he had now, along with things he had to not do. Aleph kept himself brave and listened. When he didn't worry about the man's attitude (be confidant and humble, just like Okamoto said), he found that the responsibility lecture wasn't bad.

And there was the arm terminal. It was like a plastic sleeve over his left arm that held a small computer. While it was a little weight there, the person who instructed him said that they were very tough. They could even stand up to demon battles and Coliseum matches. Since all gladiators over this rank might have these terminals, they had to give out models that could handle a lot of abuse.

"These automatically link up with other terminals, smartphones, and some computers when you get close," the salesperson said. "It allows for access to the Center's database and the instant transport system."

"It's limited access for now, but we can start looking," Okamoto said.

"Yes," Aleph said, smiling.

The salesperson ignored that for the time being. "And, it has all the basic apps of any personal computer or smartphone, plus a few extras that we distribute to gladiators."

"Does that include the demon summoning program?" Okamoto asked.

He shook his head. "No, sorry. We're not sure where people are picking that up again. But from what I'm hearing, it's freeware that will show up randomly as you use the virtuals."

"That's a pity," he said. "It's really useful, Aleph, you should see about finding somewhere to download it."

"Yes," he said. He'd read about the demon summoners who made deals with demons to fight against other demons. He was supposed to fight and defeat demons, so it could be a useful option. For one thing, Kazuya had used it. Aleph wanted to be like Kazuya, more so than any of the other Champions he had watched.

The salesperson wanted to make sure he could use it, but Aleph found computers easy to use. But before he could look up the summoning program, he ran into some fans of his. As he was so new, most people didn't know who he was other than the one who caught the rabbit. His quick climbing of the ranks was getting more attention, so more people cheered for him at the start of matches. These fans had so many questions, though, most of which he wasn't sure how to answer.

Thankfully, Okamoto pulled him away to show him around the hall of champions. "We really should have come around earlier, paid our respects," he said as they entered the hall of statues. "There's even a few from the earliest tournaments, before there was a Center to win citizenship into."

"Good," Aleph said, wondering where to start.

Okamoto showed him around, talking about the strength and weaknesses of the various champions, along with what strategies they'd used to win. There was a man who won on sheer strength, another who won because he was too quick for his opponents to hit. There were those who were still very much stars throughout Millennium; all five districts would be watching the official tournament matches and it would be all anyone talked about. However, Okamoto had said to be confidant. Aleph knew he didn't need to be intimidated because Okamoto believed in him.

One of the last statues they looked at was very interesting, more so than the others. "Now this guy here, he was the winner of the first Tournament when it was known as the Tokyo Rehabilitation Tournament," Okamoto said. "It was initially held to encourage more united efforts to build a community as some people tried to focus on their own wealth and well-being over the rest. A few years later, construction on the Center was begun. And this guy was important to everyone back in the day; this is Kazuya, said to have been a Messiah."

"Messiah?" Aleph asked. Something about that word seemed very important. Hanada and Mekata had mentioned it a few times too.

"You sure picked up on that one quick," Okamoto said. "Yes, he did so much for us. I remember seeing him when I was a child in the Grand Cathedral. There was a huge worldwide disaster before even I was born where huge nukes, which are powerful bombs, were dropped everywhere. Humanity was about wiped out and Japan had already been cut off from the world as one of the centers of the initial invasion of demons. But some miracle happened; he had been a young cop when the original catastrophe took place, but ended up traveling through time to arrive in Tokyo thirty years later.

"He and his friends then spread throughout the city, fighting demons and trying to unite the people. But back then, there were very powerful factions of demons and angels struggling for control over humanity. Kazuya and his friends utterly destroyed both factions, freeing us to find our own future. Kazuya could use the demon summoning program, was actually the very first summoner using it at all. Actually, that's part of why I'd like to see you using it. People remember that and those who manage to become good summoners are better liked as a result."

"Okay," Aleph said, looking up at the statue. The music in his head shifted; something shone on the statue's face. "Kazuya?"

"Hmm?" Okamoto looked up and noticed it too. "Huh, wonder if there's a leak down here. Seems disrespectful."

Humming a moment, he reached over and patted the statue. "No… cry." Okamoto chuckled at that for some reason, then reassured him that it wasn't the statue crying because stone didn't cry.

When they got back to the gym, Aleph decided to use his arm terminal to look up some things. First, he tried locating his mother. But, how was her name spelled? He remembered it being Hiroko, but he'd only heard it being said. He got some entries from his attempts at her name, but none of the ones he could check as a second-class citizen matched what he remembered. When he closed his eyes, he could still remember her face, her blond hair. If he saw her, he was sure he'd recognize her.

Although he was disappointed that didn't work, he then looked up Kazuya. He was much easier to find information on. There were more detailed descriptions of what he'd done, a number of old videos from when he'd lead the police force before the Center was built. In some of those videos, particularly the tournament related ones, one could see how he used summoned demons, a handgun, and a large sword.

"Kazuya..." Aleph mumbled to himself. The old hero had defeated many demons, even the most powerful among them. Aleph knew he wanted to be like Kazuya. If he could defeat demons like Kazuya did, then it'd be good for everyone.

But, Kazuya was a lot better speaker than Aleph was. Aleph knew that most people spoke in sentences and proper grammar. But, he found that difficult to manage. He could understand them just fine, most of the time. Whenever he tried to use more than one word or small phrase at a time, he couldn't figure out how to arrange them. It was frustrating. How could he understand it in others, yet not be able to do the same?

Also, Kazuya seemed smart about different things. He'd led the police, for one thing. Aleph was really good with numbers, and he could project the physics of how things would work by equating them with the harmonies in his head. But whenever someone asked him how he did that, even his thoughts got confused. He didn't know. He just noticed that this music matched things and he could predict results of actions with it.

Well, he could start working with swords more often. That was another way he could be like Kazuya for certain, even though the music made it pretty easy for Aleph to pick up and use whatever weapon he found. And maybe there was some tactics with using demons that could be learned by looking through these videos and articles about Kazuya.

It was study just like Hanada and Mekata did, which made Aleph happy to realize.


	3. The Center Tournament

It occurred during a time when Aleph was trying out level 70 arenas in the virtual trainer. He could do level 50s with no injuries, and level 60s were starting to get simple. While the first excursion into level 70 had completely destroyed him, he managed to survive through two fights in the next run. And then something bright red caught his eye down the hallway. It was heading down a left turn, disappearing behind the wall texture before Aleph could determine what it was.

Given that he was in a new level range, Aleph knew he should be careful. But demons usually showed up as static blobs in virtuals until you were in battle. He headed for the turn to follow whatever the red thing had been. One of the battles on the way was the one that had ended his last session so quickly. Since he wanted to find out what the odd event was, he threw a molotov he'd gotten from a real world battle just to get the ninja thing out of his way. It didn't finish the demon off, but luckily it didn't finish him before he could make another strike to end that encounter.

The red thing was at the end of the hall again, turning left again. This time, he got enough of a look to realize that it must be another human player. Just, one that decided to use a wheelchair in here rather than walk around. That was strange; the virtuals were set up so that people could ignore physical limitations they had. Gladiators would choose to enter as they were since it could make them stronger to do so; Aleph didn't know of any gladiator that used a wheelchair.

After another turn, it was clear that whoever that was was waiting on him to catch up. The encounters were lessening too; he'd not encountered another of those very dangerous ninjas aside from the first. That was good; he might be able to complete this level, making up for that initial bad loss. He should probably stick to the level 60s until he could get through without harm. 70 was really tough.

Another turn brought Aleph into a small dead end. The person in the wheelchair was waiting on him. "Hello, I am Steven," he said, putting his hands together. "And, you are Aleph, also known as the gladiator Hawk."

"Yes," he said. Steven… that seemed like a name to remember.

"I have been distributing my demon summoning program widely again, in the anticipation that it will be needed shortly," Steven said. "The Center of Millennium has been doing an adequate job of keeping demons suppressed, but things are about to happen that will lead to a surge of demons coming again. The fact that you're in the virtuals today means that you've already received an invitation for the download. But I felt as though I should contact you myself. You've already proven to be an unusual person; currently, you are in a perilous position."

"Maybe?" he responded. Okamoto said that was a good response when neither yes nor no worked.

"Yet you've recently decided that you'd like to follow in Kazuya's footsteps," Steven said. He must have been really smart to know about these things.

"Yes," Aleph said.

Steven put a hand on his chin. "I'm afraid that in some ways, you cannot. However, you have immense potential that he did not have. Kazuya often questioned those around him to determine the truth of things. Your language capacity has been extremely limited, and I'm afraid there might be little chance for that to be restored. Yet, you can still do other things he did. Be observant of your surroundings, what goes on around you. Listen closely to people; search for incongruities, things that do not match. Do this and think through what you do; that will make good use of your abilities."

"Okay," Aleph said. It was a lot to keep in mind, but he felt like he could do that.

"Once you start doing that, it'll become second nature," Steven said. "I may come around to help you again should our paths cross. If you need my help with the program or question involving demons, send me a message. I don't care if it's blank, I'll know what you're asking for. I'll see what I can do to help or explain things."

"Okay," he said. "Thank you."

"Good luck with completing this level," Steven said. "You won't be able to recruit demons in this virtual setting, but those ninjas that are causing so much trouble are weak to zan type attacks. You can't do that yourself, but bring a demon who knows them in here and things should be easier."

He nodded, and then Steven vanished after a wave. Aleph went back to getting through this maze. Oddly enough, the boss demon they had put here was a lot easier than the ninjas.

* * *

One day as he was leaving a dungeon run match, Aleph noticed there was a crowd in the Champion's Hall. There had been talk that the statue of Kazuya was crying for some reason. Aleph had gone in there a few times to get it to stop, but that never seemed to last long. Maybe it was an ill omen, like some people online suggested? Or Kazuya's ghost could be upset over something. Aleph wanted to help him.

He went into the hall to find a group of spectators watching some Temple Knights bully a priest. It was very odd. "If you're not one of the Gaean priests in disguise, prove it," one of the knights said.

"I have this," the priest said, taking out a necklace from where it had been tucked out of sight. There was a song with him, something soothing. "They wouldn't dare wear one of the Mesia sacred symbols."

"That could be a ruse," the knight said. The tones when Aleph took a look at him were sharper and sterner. But, it was similar music.

"Hang on, it does have some power," another knight said. "It's been used in prayer."

"Of course, I've had it for a long time," the priest said, slipping his necklace back under his white and blue robes.

"It could have been stolen," the knight said, firm in his belief that this priest was trouble. "If you are truly a priest, you would know not to cause a stir like this."

"I am simply relaying God's words," he said.

The knight threatened him with his spear. "No, you're disturbing the peace! You're saying things that run contrary to the words of the elders. You should come in for questioning."

"Stop," Aleph said, going over to knight and putting a hand firmly on his arm.

"Who do you think you are, interfering with our business?" the knight snapped at him. It was enough for the priest to step back.

"Um, sir?" the third knight, who'd been quiet so far, said. "This is one of the rising stars among the gladiators here, Hawk."

"Even if you are famous, you have nothing to do with this," the first knight said. He must have been in charge.

"What?" Aleph asked, glancing at him, then the priest. The humming was in mind; he hummed for a second, hoping for some answers.

Fortunately, he got them. "This priest is claiming to have visions of demons invading Millennium," the knight said. "He also claims to know why this statue has been crying, but it's ridiculous. He's not a confirmed prophet."

"Not to you, sorry," the priest said, calmly polite.

"Is this priest one of your friends?" the third knight asked.

Aleph had the sudden knowledge that the priest's life depended on this answer. If he ended up leaving with the knights, he would die today. "Yes," Aleph said, feeling that was the answer to save his life.

"Well could you tell him not to make trouble around here?" the first knight said, irritated. "Making such claims about the Messiah is going to upset people. This crying statue is being researched as a potential miracle, but it's probably something more mundane." He glanced up, but there was no moisture on the ceiling above the statue that the water might drip from.

"Mmm." The fact that the statue kept crying was something that worried Aleph. He went over and patted the statue again. "Okay. Stop. Please."

"What are you doing?" the first knight asked, now skeptical.

"Oh, the statue stopped crying in response to Hawk," the priest said, putting his hand to his cheek. There were gasps around the room as they noticed it was true. "He has a connection to Kazuya, as do I."

"We will be investigating this," the first knight said, looking away. There was a hint of being troubled in his words. "Again, stop causing people upset." He then led the other two away.

"Yes, we should leave," the priest said. "Hawk, would you accompany me home? At least part way; I'd like to speak with you."

"Okay," Aleph said, since he'd called him a friend.

Once they were out of the Coliseum, the priest relaxed. "Thank you for your help," he said. "I was taking a risk coming here, but I had to see for myself. My name is Yuji; I was one of Kazuya's companions around the time of the Great Flood."

"Yes," Aleph said. He was the one who the Mesian Church had called a Messiah at first. While it was in a few videos, most of the information about Yuji as the Messiah was gone.

"Is your name truly Hawk?" Yuji asked.

He shook his head. "Aleph."

"I see, like," he said, trailing off in thought. Halfway down the block, he said, "You're an unfortunate person, Aleph, for being blessed as you are."

"Bad?" he asked, worried about it.

"No, you're not bad," he said. "But your situation is. I am a prophet; my visions have been darkening lately, though. Meeting you, I can start to see why. I'm afraid that I can't help you as much as I like. If certain people knew I was here, they would do everything they can to ensure you don't meet me again. I hope we can. If you ever have reason to go below Millennium, try to find me; I'll help you then."

"Okay," Aleph said. Seeing Yuji bow his head, he patted his arm and smiled. "Okay," he said, trying to reassure him.

Smiling back, he said, "You are kind like Kazuya was." He sighed, then glanced around. "I came up here because I've seen him crying in my dreams. I asked why and he told me that one of his children was in trouble. At the time, I wasn't sure what he meant. I knew his children too and… they've all passed away like him and Yuka, under suspicious accidents. If those knights had truly recognized me, I could have fallen to the same fate. The people up here may call him a hero and Messiah, but he never called himself that and they're doing their best to keep the truth of what he did hidden."

That sounded bad. "Help?"

"Thanks but you're the one who actually needs help," Yuji said. "Do you happen to have the demon summoning program?"

"Yes," he said, patting his terminal.

He nodded in approval. "Good. You should look for a Neutral aligned demon who can speak our language. As I've used it for many years myself, I know that it conveys intentions and unspoken meanings between humans and demons, often better than we humans communicate with each other. If you can get a friendly demon who doesn't have other motives, they might be able to speak for you better than you can speak for yourself."

"Good," he said, since that would be useful. "Thank you."

"I hope that my feelings right now are mistaken, but I will be praying about this," Yuji said. "In the meantime, would you like to hear about something I saw Kazuya doing?"

"Yes," Aleph said, smiling because it was sure to be true if it came from one of Kazuya's close friends.

They had to part at the passage that led to the Center, as Aleph couldn't go through and Yuji only had a temporary pass. But he had told an interesting story about how Kazuya had helped out Yuji and another boy, Takeshi, in the events that led up to the Great Flood.

* * *

Somehow, Zayin had gotten Gimmel and Daleth back to the Center in time for the Center Tournament. Beth was happy for that, although it still wasn't Aleph with them. It really didn't feel right, to have their group together without him. But Daleth was always out training himself and Gimmel really was obsessed with getting Arcadia right. It seemed like only Beth and Zayin were still attending to their Temple Knight duties.

"I've been going out to support Zayin most days," Beth said when asked about it. "Not that he needs it; he can defeat most demons before they get a chance to act. But some fast demons can do a lot of damage before us."

"You're supposed to be helping out me," Daleth said, taking a chair next to her.

"Or Aleph," she said.

"Yeah, but why don't you come back out with me once this tournament circus is done?" Daleth said.

"No, sorry, I'm still looking for Aleph," she said.

He frowned a bit, but then nodded. "So who all is in this time? I haven't heard anything about what went on in prelims."

"The current favorite to win is Red Boar," Gimmel said. "He's beaten almost everyone else who got into the main tournament in many other matches, and is actually better against his human opponents than demons."

"But the one he hasn't beaten is Hawk, mostly because they haven't been matched," Beth said.

"Wasn't that the addict guy we watched a while back?" Daleth asked.

Gimmel nodded. "Yes, the same. Actually, I think he has a pretty good shot at making it to the finals against Red Boar. He's picked up on demon summoning in the past month and already seems adept with the program. So he's actually got the best chance of winning against Red Boar if their match allows for demons."

"What are your odds of that championship bout being those two?" Zayin asked.

Gimmel crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. "I haven't seen the seed board yet. If they're on opposing sides, I would say with about 95 percent certainty that it will be those two. If they're on the same side, the other will need to win the fourth slot in the penultimate round to end up in the Championship."

"You have that little faith in the other contenders?" Daleth asked.

Gimmel nodded. "They're good fighters, but not in the same league as Red Boar and Hawk. It's a pity for them that the elders have been talking of not setting up another Center Tournament after this one."

"Why not?" Daleth asked. "Everyone is always looking forward to them; it gets annoying trying to get any info in the months surrounding a tournament because nobody wants to talk about anything else."

"I don't know, but it seemed pretty serious," Beth said. Zayin shrugged.

"Something big is going to be announced soon," Gimmel said. "That's the feeling I get from things. I don't think it's about Arcadia, though."

"So you haven't pursued it much?" Beth asked.

"Well, yes, that's so," he admitted.

"There goes the seed chart," Daleth said, drawing their attention to the screens. He moved it to one of the larger screens. "And looks like they had the same idea, since they put Hawk and Red Boar on opposite sides of the chart. They'll be wanting to build it up as a huge match, or a surprise if it doesn't end up as them."

"I'd say so," Gimmel said. "If you bring up Red Boar's gladiator profile, you'll see that he belongs to the top-ranked gym in Valhalla and has a three-year history building up to this one tournament. He has worked very hard to get himself into this position."

"He'd be an asset to the Temple Knights, if he bothers to join," Zayin said. "Most of them don't."

"Oh, they updated the profile pictures for today," Beth said, spotting a mark for that on a screen near her. "I wonder if they actually have one for Hawk now. Since he's not in a high-profile gym, he hasn't had a profile picture at all."

"You seem really into this Hawk," Gimmel said, smiling at her.

"Well, he's an underdog despite natural talent," she said, smiling and trying not to act too involved. But then Daleth swapped over to Hawk's profile, where there was a photo for him. A high quality one, even. "Aleph?" she said, startled at the face on the screen now.

"Goodness, is that really him?" Gimmel asked, leaning forward in his seat. "I think so."

"So that's where he's been all along, hiding under some other identity?" Daleth asked. "But why mark himself as a drug addict like that? He is having to go through mandatory rehab sessions just to be undercover. Did he have some secret assignment?"

"Not that I've heard of," Gimmel said.

"I don't think so," Beth said.

"No, I don't think so either," Zayin said, having his phone already dialing a number. He shifted aside when he got a response. "Yes, Bishop? We believe we've found Aleph. Check the Center Tournament charts for a gladiator named Hawk."

"They really should have upgraded the cameras in the Coliseum," Gimmel said. "We would have recognized him sooner from the televised matches he was in."

"At least we can finally find out what happened to him," Beth said, feeling relieved. And happy, since he was a gladiator she'd already liked. He would show all of Millennium what made him so great today.

After some discussion with the bishop, Zayin got up out of his chair. "Come on, guys, we're checking out this tournament in person, then catching Hawk at the end of it. The bishop is working to change the final match to make sure it's not a death match this time."

"We're going out in that sweaty noisy crowd?" Daleth said, but got out of his seat with the rest of them. "I hope the bishop could swing us some decent seats at least."

"Don't worry about that," Zayin said. "It may be last minute, but we're still Temple Knights."

* * *

It was tournament day and one of the demons fighting with Aleph was a chimera. Some searching of the networks led him to a Heretic Mansion where he could fuse demons and somehow he'd managed a chimera out of what he'd recruited out on high danger days around the full moon. When it had first appeared, he'd been spooked at its arrival. However, it was under his command like the others had been. And now it was supporting him, poisoning his opponents to weaken them and healing him up whenever he got hurt. If the other gladiators tried to attack it, it was still very strong in close combat.

He patted its back as it walked with him off the arena after a particularly difficult opponent. That one also used demons and had brought along three instead of just one. And then Chimera's Poison Breath had inflicted all three of them with sickness and poison, making it much easier to destroy the demons and knock out the human. There was the option in these battles to kill an opponent at the end of a battle match. However, Aleph had never taken it. He was to defeat and destroy demons, not destroy humans.

In the locker room he was to wait in between matches, Okamoto was waiting on him. "Just as expected, you're doing a wonderful job," he said, patting his back. "Now you've go the Championship match to look forward to, so take it easy until the time comes around. You'll want to be in the best shape you can be for that."

"Yes," Aleph said, going to sit on the bench in here. He didn't feel like taking a nap, but sitting to rest would be good. Chimera put its head on the bench, so he got out an apple to feed it. The program said that it wasn't necessary to feed demons, but it seemed to make a few of them happy. And since he had been winning a lot, he had enough makka to spare for snacks.

"There's lots of people rooting for you now," Okamoto said, bringing out his phone. "I've been keeping tabs on things. Red Boar still has a lot of fans, but you're winning many over yourself. While they said you were long odds at the start, you're really paying off those bets."

"Okay," he said, although he didn't understand all the betting terminology his trainer used. Other than that once with the roulette wheel, Aleph had decided to be careful with betting. Many of those machines sounded like they were rigged from the mental notes he got looking at them.

"And Red Boar's going to be a true challenge," the trainer went on. "You've got one of his weaknesses already, as he never seems to do as well when faced with a demon. He's an aggressive and violent fighter; he's done a lot of death matches and taken the option to kill. They've called off the death match this time for some reason, just a couple hours ago. However, he's still been known to inflict bad injuries that require hospital care after matches. Be careful of that."

Aleph nodded and petted his chimera. He didn't want to go back to the hospital even if it wouldn't scare him as much. If he could avoid being injured like that, it'd be good.

"He is slower than you in combat, so you've also got that over him," Okamoto said. "And you could take a few hits from him." He continued on with the assessment, which Aleph listened to carefully.

An hour later, he was brought into the arena for the Championship match. "And the format of this bout will be a dungeon maze leading to a final knock-out battle," one of the announcers said. This one was a lot less boisterous than the usual announcers. "The main restriction to account for is that the contenders are not to battle within the maze itself should they encounter each other there. A great number of powerful demons have been released into the maze, along with some special equipment hidden in chests throughout. Anything the contenders bring in or find in the maze can be used in the final bout."

Aleph had good equipment, but it might not hurt to look around to see what they had placed. And unlike virtuals, he could recruit demons within the Coliseum mazes. He could have two more demon allies supported with the program in active battle. Recently, Steven had sent him some upgrades, like an analysis program. He should be able to find some good allies here.

Then one of the usual announcers took over, "And with the conditions for this match set, let's introduce our final contenders for the Championship of this Tournament! In the west entrance, we have the crowd favorite, Red Boar! He has long overwhelmed opponents in this stadium, fighting valiantly for this very chance to prove his might!"

There was a lot of cheers for him; Aleph had watched Red Boar fight before. He'd been glad then to not be fighting him because he was very violent with his fighting style, not holding back even though he was fighting against other humans. One opponent even had to be taken out on a stretcher and Red Boar called over that it would have been better to take a death match as a loser.

"And in the east entrance, we have a gladiator who has astonishingly raced up the ranks in a mere two months to make it to this competition, Hawk! He's been one surprise after another, a master of many fighting styles, so anything could happen in this match!" There were many cheers for him, although not as many as Red Boar. But nobody booed; people were excited for this match.

Then the buzzer sounded, starting their match. "Come," Aleph said to the chimera, going into the maze with the demon. Strong demons around meant it was better to take it slow and easy, to make sure he wasn't injured going into the battle. And there were chests to find too, so he observed around and kept an eye on the dungeon map.

Before long, he determined it to be arrangement D, which had two rooms to teleport into the arena itself. That let him know where the chests were most likely to be. The first chest room he came across had some fighting gloves with spikes on them. Since he already had good weapons, he left that alone.

On his way to the next to check, one of the demons came rushing right through an imp that had been taunting him into a battle. It was a white unicorn, its horn like pearl. "Hello," Aleph said to it to make sure he started with conversation. Given the way it had gored the imp, the unicorn would have to be taken cautiously in battle.

The unicorn threw back its head and snorted. "Hmm? You know, I normally wouldn't associate with a man. But you are strangely innocent for a human adult."

"Maybe?" he said, since he wasn't sure what that meant.

It approached him, so Aleph held still so it could sniff him. "Then what do you do in this arena of blood sports?"

"Mmm..." how did he explain this? "Okamoto."

Fortunately, the chimera chimed in for him. "He owes a debt to his trainer, thus he is here. And speaking of unexpected contenders, what are you doing in this arena for blood sports?"

"I did not choose to be here," the unicorn claimed. "I was captured along with many of the other demons here to participate. It's ugly, so I've been looking for a way out."

"Mmm," Aleph pointed back to the teleporter that had gotten him in here. "Go." Then he shook his head and gestured to the unicorn. "Come?"

"You are very peculiar for an adult," the unicorn said. It tossed its head. "As much as I don't like this, I dislike more that an innocent like yourself is participating. Do you even know about death?"

He thought about that for a moment. Death was being really badly injured, or vanishing? "No?"

"This should not be," the unicorn said. "Very well, I am Unicorn, I shall protect you from now on." It bowed its head, so he bowed back after accepting the contract. "Before you go up to the proper arena, you ought to search for a titan that's lurking in these halls. He would be extremely dangerous to fight. But if we could convince him to your side too, he could fight for you very well. Just be ready to flee should he want a fight; I can make that a certainty."

"Good," Aleph said.

The second chest he came to had a piece of armor in it, but he liked what he had. Since the treasures weren't proving too interesting, he turned his attention to locating the titan. He spotted Red Boar heading into one of the teleport rooms, causing the announcers to stir up the crowd in anticipation of the fight. He shouldn't make them too restless in waiting; some of the scoring was from how well the audience approved of a gladiator's conduct. But he wanted to find that titan.

Fortunately, it was in the next hall, searching around. "Uh-oh, seems like Hawk has discovered our secret mini-boss encounter in the maze, a mighty titan!" an announcer called. "We're going to be on the edge of our seats to find out how he handles this one."

"Hello," Aleph said, bowing to the titan.

"How polite," the titan said, but scornfully. "But it won't save you in battle to be polite."

The unicorn stepped in front of him. "Halt, I will not let you harm this innocent," it said, stamping a foot down.

"You were the one who brought us to him, idiot," the chimera said, keeping close to Aleph instead. It would protect him too.

"An innocent, hmm?" the titan asked. "I'd doubt it, but a unicorn wouldn't lie. You've got to have some skill to convince these two beasts to your side. But is it enough for a warrior like me."

"Yes," Aleph said.

The titan chuckled. "You think so, huh? All right, show me your strength. Take my hand and push against me."

"Okay," he said, taking the titan's extended hand. Once he had a firm grip, he pushed against it with all his might. The titan responded in kind, putting immense pressure on Aleph's hand. After a few seconds, the titan loosened up and Aleph had to keep himself from falling into him. "Good."

"Yes, very good," the titan said. "That wasn't all my strength, but you held up better than most humans. Actually, you have more strength than you appear to have, and you're not looking like some frail waif."

"Come?" Aleph asked, tapping his terminal, then shaking his right hand. He might have to wait a bit before going up to fight Red Boar, just to make sure he was at good strength.

"I respect only the strong, and you are strong," the titan said. "Very well. I am Titan, at your command. Are we going after the other man who was in here?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

Titan smirked. "Good. He saw me and fled the other way instantly. Such cowardice is not fitting for this event. Let's go." Meanwhile, the audience and announcer seemed shocked to see him negotiate the titan into a contract. Even if he had avoided going straight to the arena, this made them anticipate what was coming more.

Up in the arena, the welcoming cheers were thunderous all around them. Red Boar stopped his pacing and looked over as one of the arena managers teleported in to officiate the match. "You both look to be in good shape," the manager said. "And remember, this isn't a death match anymore."

"That's a pity," Red Boar said, even though they weren't broadcasting to the audience yet. "What made them change their mind?"

"We're not sure, but it came from high up in the Center," the manager said. "They might see you both as good assets in the battles against demons, so they want to make sure you both survive the tournament."

"Good," Aleph said.

"I guess I could take that," Red Boar said, looking away.

The announcers calmed everyone down after a moment, when the official put through the command to broadcast from within the arena. "All right, and now our Championship match is set to go! We'll turn it down to the arena judge for starting comments."

"Put on a good show, both of you," the manager said, shifting his tone now that everyone was hearing him. "You've done well to get here, but only one of you will walk away as a champion. Competitor Hawk, are you ready?"

"Yes," he said. He'd made sure his team was in good condition for this before they teleported up.

"You have any words for your competitor?" the official asked.

"No," Aleph said.

"What, do you think so little of me?" Red Boar said, more belligerently than before. There were a few boos to his answer.

"No," Aleph said, chasing away the boos for approving cheers. Keep calm, keep confidant, keep humble. He was going to be a champion. He didn't need to be intimidated by his opponent. Okamoto believed in him. And, he was sure that out there somewhere, Mom believed in him too.

Red Boar actually laughed at this. "So that's how it is. That's fine, I can respect a man of few words."

"All right, and Red Boar, are you ready?" the official said.

"Absolutely, ready to kick his ass," Red Boar said, getting cheered for that.

"And do you have anything to say to your opponent?" the official asked. The audience quieted, expecting one of his big boasts.

"Yes, I've been saving a little something special for this match," he said, touching his arm terminal. All of a sudden, three huge flaming red bull demons were with him. The flames rose off them with wild crackles and dripped off them like magma. There were many gasps around the audience. "I've been training in secret to use demons too, so now I can match anyone."

"No," Aleph said, which got some laughs and approving cheers. Though it wasn't clear who people were cheering for at this point.

"Then let's see which of you is right," the official said. "No intentional death, but other than that, anything goes here. As you're both using demons, we will warp out either of you if you become incapacitated during the fight, leaving your demons in the arena to finish off the battle. One who is warped out may be warped back in if it turns out they're capable still, so be aware of that. On your marks." He then backed off, getting out of their range before he signaled the buzzer to sound.

"Mmm," Aleph stepped back as Red Boar lunged for him with his sword. The unicorn was quick to deflect Boar to protect Aleph. Meanwhile, Aleph sent some orders through the comp to his demons. The melodies told him that Red Boar and his Red Bulls would be weak to bufu spells, which unicorn had a 'ma-' version of. Chimera was to use Poison Breath once, then focus on keeping them healed up. And Titan was to see about knocking Red Boar unconscious (but not dead, that was important in a non-deathmatch). For himself, Aleph got out his gun, ready to use items for his demons but keeping out of the main fighting himself.

It didn't take long for Titan to drop Red Boar, slamming him into the ground with his giant fists. He got teleported away, leaving the three bulls. Unicorn's Mabufu had made them mad, either that or their summoner's loss. Without orders to guide them, they began rampaging around, hurting his three demons badly. Unicorn focused a Bufula on one of the Red Bulls to destroy it, then Titan crushed another.

The third stampeded through Unicorn and Chimera, heading for Aleph. The music in his mind turned tense. Throwing his gun aside, he braced himself, watching… then grabbed the flaming horns just before it bashed straight into him. He got shoved backwards against the force of stopping the bull; gasps went around the crowd and they got quiet for a packed house. In the arena, the Red Bull bellowed in trying to intimidate him, pushing against his grip. Aleph kept hold, following the motions the music suggested. When it went to shake him off, he caught its movement and shoved it onto its side. It was helpless there, so he drew his sword and stabbed it through the throat.

And that was the last of the bulls. The audience roared as the buzzer sounded to end the match, thoroughly approving of his win. Now, there was a special part of the audience where guests of honor, usually from the Center, would be seated… he turned to that and bowed. Then made the same motion to the other parts of the audience as the official came up to him. That should do.

Others were teleported into the arena as well. "And here is our new Champion of Millennium, Hawk!" the official said. "He will be made into a first-class citizen and an official member of the Center itself. If you don't mind me asking, what name are you entering the Center under?"

"Aleph," he told them.

"All right then, Champion Aleph Hawk, so anything you'd like to say to the audience before we crown you champion?"

"No," he said, causing a few laughs among the cheers trying to contain themselves. Then he thought of something. "Thank you."

They gave him a black crown to wear and presented him for the audience to cheer for again. Okamoto came out and hugged him, which Aleph was happy with. He'd repaid his debt with this, proving that the old trainer was still a good man. But as they were going to head out to celebrate, the official came back over to them. "There's been a request from some Temple Knights attending that you come speak with them immediately," the official said. "Apparently they put this through before the match even began."

"Huh, wonder what they want," Okamoto said. "But they're Temple Knights, so we'd best not keep them waiting."

"Yes," Aleph agreed, faintly feeling like this was important. He wasn't sure of why, though.

They went right up to the area behind the special seating in the white box. Since these were special people, Aleph sent his demons away to not make them nervous. This area was a lot nicer than the lower spectator seats, with padded seating and a small environment temperature control to make sure it was comfortable for those watching events there. Not long after they came up the stairs to the area, a woman ran over and hugged him. "Aleph! You're okay, we thought you might have died!"

Startled, he tensed up and took her arm to tug her away gently. He didn't mind a hug from Okamoto because he knew him, but this woman… wait. When she pulled away, looking confused and teary-eyed, her face seemed familiar. There was something there. "Beth?"

"Yes," she said. "Um, you do remember me, right?"

"No," he said, rubbing his head. He knew her, but he didn't remember her. "Mmm."

"But you know her name," a graceful slender man said, coming over with two others. They too seemed familiar.

"Yes," Aleph said. "Gimmel." Then he pointed to the other two. "Daleth. Zayin."

"You never mentioned these people before," Okamoto said. Aleph closed his eyes, feeling uneasy.

"We saw in the records that he was in rehab, which made us not suspect Hawk to be Aleph until he got a profile picture earlier today," Gimmel said. "What exactly was he on? We lost him around six months ago, late in December."

Okamoto raised an eyebrow. "Really? I found him around that time, wandering around in a haze without shoes. The hospital couldn't determine what happened to him aside from the chimera attack I witnessed, but if you're his friends, I suppose I can tell you."

"Yes?" Aleph said, unsure. But he thought they should know. "Yes."

"He had severe brain damage and memory loss," Okamoto said. "Around that time, we had a major problem with a black market group manufacturing designer drugs with hallucinogenic venom from various demons. A lot of unfortunates were lost in the three weeks before they were busted; many more of them died since, but Aleph here has managed to keep clean all this time since and has recovered well for how badly he got hit."

"I don't remember hearing anything about that," Gimmel said, glancing at Zayin.

He shook his head. "Me neither. Did it not get reported to the Center?"

"I don't know, but sounds like it didn't," Okamoto said. "I've only been concerned with helping Aleph through it; he's become like a son to me in that time."

"Yes," Aleph said, smiling at that.

His trainer looked worried at him. "One of the side-effects that remains is how handicapped his verbal skills are. He has a limited vocabulary and can't form sentences, spoken or written. He generally gets his point across."

"The bishop is not going to be happy with this," Gimmel said, rubbing his forehead. "He must have been tricked into taking those drugs; I can't imagine that he would consume something so awful willingly."

"That could be," Okamoto said.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him," Zayin said, coming over to the trainer. "He belongs in the Center with us."

"Well if that's how it is, that's how it is," Okamoto said, disappointed. Then he clasped Aleph's hand. "You take care, then. And any time you happen to have business in Valhalla, feel free to drop on by and see me."

"Thank you, Okamoto," Aleph said, then hugged him again. He didn't want to leave the trainer, but it was bound to happen anyhow with him moving to the Center.


	4. Learning a Destiny

When they got back to the Center, the bishop had gotten together a celebration party for Aleph. Beth wished she'd been around to help put it together, but it looked really nice with balloons, a delicious looking cake, and some sparkling punch. "There are many reasons to celebrate, so we did the best we could on short notice," the bishop said. "For your return back home to us, in congratulations for your well-deserved win at the Coliseum, and also for Daleth coming back in successfully."

"Am I just an afterthought?" Daleth asked, rolling his eyes.

"You've been out in the wilderness for months," Zayin said.

"Well I guess I can take it then," Daleth said, then nudged Aleph. "You do remember important things, right? Like how old we are."

He smiled at that. "Six."

Daleth raised an eyebrow at that. "Uh, no, twenty-two."

Aleph shook his head. "Six."

Thankfully, Gimmel went over to the confused bishop. "Excuse me, but there is something we need to discuss, about him." The two of them went over so Gimmel could explain what the gladiator trainer Okamoto had told them.

Maybe Aleph needed something stronger to jog his memory. Beth tugged at his hand. "Hey, remember this?" She pulled the necklace she wore out forward, a gold heart-shaped locket with pink roses engraved on the cover.

"No," he said. "Good." He clicked his tongue. "P-pretty?"

"I always thought that," she said, trying to hide her disappointment. "But, you gave it to me, seven years ago when we first went out on a date. I remember that like it happened yesterday." She smiled. "They were having a flower garden display in Holytown to raise money for the cathedral they wanted to put there. It was really beautiful, and you were charming with your words back then." She could even still remember some of what she said to him, like a true romantic. Daleth had never done anything like that for her.

"No," Aleph said, then closed his eyes. "Mmm. Sorry."

"But I know that happened, because I have this," she said, opening up the locket part. "See? Aleph and Beth, and the year you gave it to me."

"Sorry," he mumbled, then wiped away a tear.

"Oh, well sorry I brought it up," she said, not wanting to make him upset. "Let's have fun tonight, okay?"

Even if his language was limited now, he still managed to be charming once he cheered up. He was interested in everything, from old stories they all told trying to trigger his memory (none worked) to Gimmel's technical talk about Acadia. Aleph was happy with being with them again, Beth was sure of it even if he didn't seem to remember them. She was certainly glad that he had returned. It had been a long time, during which she felt like a part of herself was missing along with him.

A while into their celebration, the bishop stood up and called for their attention. "Now that we have all of you back here, there is something we've been waiting to announce to you five in particular. After the unfortunate loss we had of Kazuya many years ago, things have grown steadily more dangerous in the world. Many of us prayed for the return of a Messiah who could finish what Kazuya began and establish a thousand year paradise on Earth, without demons and wars. It has been kept quiet about, but we're gong to soon be announcing that our prayers have been answered. A new Messiah has been born."

"That's wonderful," Gimmel said. "Did you want us to train them?"

"No, not quite," the bishop said. "We have been reviewing many prophecies lately, particular centered upon the Book of Revelations. As a result, we discovered that some earlier calculations were off and we actually missed the birth of the new Messiah."

"What, really?" Daleth asked.

"Yes," he said. "Assessing the stars, the signs within the earth, the fortunes of wind and water, we found the birth sign and date of the Messiah of this generation. Other signs have been pointed out in these nearly two and a half decades that indicate that this is correct. There is just one problem left to solve. For you see, there were two born at the exact time, date, and even in the general place that we proved to be their birth. And that would be, Aleph and Daleth here."

"Are they both Messiahs?" Beth asked, feeling some awe at this coincidence. She'd known they were both special, even among the five of them who were said to be highly gifted among the Temple Knights. But for one or even two of them to be the Messiah to save the whole world? That was exciting.

"We're not certain of this, but we hope it is that," the bishop said. "But there's also a chance that an anti-messiah has appeared as well. You see, it is known that the demon lord Lucifer, ruler of all that is Chaos, was called into the world during the Catastrophe so long ago. However, no one could locate him for certain when the bombs fell over Tokyo; they must have helped to obscure him somehow. Kazuya and his friends were never able to find Lucifer and we have seen signs of his work within the world as well. Lucifer may have taken advantage of that secrecy and his knowledge of the prophecy to raise one who would divide the people and end up doing more harm than good."

"Mmm," Aleph said, closing his eyes. He looked troubled.

"That's not what we were trained for as temple knights," Daleth said. "I'm out to help the people; I don't want to cause them harm. You agree too, Aleph, right? That you don't want what he said to be true."

Aleph got very confused at that. Beth tugged at him. "He means, you want there to be no anti-messiah, right?"

"Yes," he said, understanding that.

"We don't want that either," the bishop said. "So we would like to keep you both close to the Center so we can determine what's going on. And of course, we want to support a new Messiah as much as we can. You three are willing to help as well, correct?"

"Of course," Zayin said.

"I would like to as well," Gimmel said. "But since you put me in charge of the Arcadia project, my time is short. But Aleph, Daleth, any time you'd like my help or could use my advice, feel free to stop by any time. I'll make you both a priority."

"Me too," Beth said, but it made her think. "But if I could, I'd like to stick mostly with Aleph for now."

"Why him?" Daleth asked. "You're supposed to be able to work well with either of us."

"I know," she said, looking to Aleph. "But Daleth, you train on your own a lot, so you know how to take care of yourself. Aleph well, he really needs someone to look after him now. He has a lot of restrictions, and somebody will need to be able to speak for him in public."

"That's true, he could use her assistance more than you now," Gimmel said.

"But then how can he fulfill a role like being the Messiah like that?" Daleth said. "I want to see our world saved, especially from secret machinations from some demon like Lucifer. It's going to take a lot to be capable of that."

"He won the Center Tournament easily," Beth said. "He could still turn out to be the Messiah; I'm sure he's still just as intelligent as before, just not able to express himself as well."

"Kazuya," Aleph said. "Messiah. Yes."

"See, he wants to protect the world too, just like Kazuya," Beth said. He smiled at her; even after six months apart, she still knew him well.

"That's wonderful to know," the bishop said. "Then we'll review things with you both. But no matter how things turn out, I hope you'll both agree to support the other in this magnificent effort."

"Yes," Aleph said readily.

"Sure," Daleth said.

They would be with each other through all of their adventures; Beth remembered that as something Aleph had said to her once. If Aleph was the Messiah, then she could be with him just like Kazuya had always had his wife Yuka with him. That would be a wonderful thing.

* * *

After the party ended, Daleth went back to his assigned room in the Center. He hadn't been here in months, but it was still clean and well-stocked. As a Temple Knight, he had housekeepers who took care of that for him while he was out. He got some water from the fridge, then went to sit down in the living area. "Man, did this all have to happen now?" he mumbled to himself.

He was fine with being asked to be the Messiah. He'd expected such a calling, after all. While the bishop had tried to keep it quiet, Daleth had always understood from the priests and others that he was someone special. He was meant to do great things. Even the fortune tellers believed so, saying that the stars spoke highly of him. And he'd known that Aleph happened to have the same birthday.

But he'd not thought that Aleph would have the same exact star signs as him and would equally be capable of a great fortune. Daleth had competed with Aleph over many things: over Beth, goals during their training, even test scores in school. He did not want to compete with Aleph over a role as big as becoming the Messiah.

It was unfortunate that Aleph somehow got messed up with those crazy drugs; Daleth enjoyed having a rival who was on such even grounds with him that he was always a challenge to overcome. But now Aleph was handicapped… and still winning over Beth at least. And the bishop seemed so much more positive towards Aleph's answers. Was it some prodigal son thing, him returning after nearly seven months of being missing?

"But we're friends, right," Daleth said to himself, looking out the scene window over the dense city scape it showed. Supposedly, that was an old world city called Tokyo. "Yeah, we never argued seriously. We can work together. After all, it's for the sake of the world."

But still, Aleph was winning somehow. He'd already accomplished something much greater than Daleth in winning the Center Tournament. Could it be that there was some ruse to do that when Daleth couldn't? Aleph had gone missing so suddenly, without a word of warning to anyone. At the same time, they'd lost some people important to a large project going on in the Center: the scientists Hanada and Mekata, and then some woman named Hiroko who'd been interrogated for a long time after the explosion in the biology lab. Were they working together to make Aleph a more attractive choice as the Messiah? But then why let him get so messed up on drugs?

"Unless that's a ruse too," Daleth murmured, thinking.

It couldn't have been too hard. They were both top class temple knights. While Zayin had been stronger than either of them, and Gimmel was smarter than just about everyone else, Aleph and himself had both been skilled in many fields. Anything either of them tried came easily. They'd had equal scores in school and equal skills in fighting. They should be perfectly equal right now when the announcement about the Messiah being one of the two of them came out.

But Aleph had won over the entire city of Millennium with his tournament win. He'd gotten the demon summoning program from somewhere and was now a summoner like Kazuya was. Meanwhile, Daleth had gotten more experienced with demon hunting in dangerous places like the underworld, and even the wilderness. He'd met a cute girl in the underworld too, but one always had to be careful with the people there. He was pretty sure he could master the demon summoning program as well. However, the people of Millennium barely knew him outside of some citizens and knights of the Center. That meant Aleph was now ahead in consideration as the Messiah. He'd surely be with that feather in his cap.

"I've got to pick up the pace if I'm going to fulfill my destiny," Daleth said. He immediately went over to his computer console and searched out how he could acquire the program to become a summoner.

* * *

The people in the Center wanted to test him, just like the doctors, Okamoto, the scientists, and the therapist. As he was used to that now, Aleph kept calm throughout it. Unfortunately, he was unable to explain things. He could show them that he could operate computers, with the music helping him to figure out hidden things. He could show that that he'd gained skill in shooting guns and using swords, among other things. But as he couldn't tell them how he did things, they were missing out on the important parts.

He even got run through a brain reading machine, which they discussed with him there. "We can say that he's rebuilding quite well from the trauma he experienced," the doctor said. "Comparing these scans from the third-class hospital, and these from today, he has reestablished some social, observation, and reasoning skills. This damage to the language area, though, that seems like it could be a permanent loss. He's lucky to be able to understand us; he is capable of reading as well. But speaking and writing will always be difficult to him."

"That will be an obstacle, but keeping Beth with him should get around that for the most part," the bishop said.

"Yes," the doctor said, then pointed out some other areas of the brain scan. "From our older records of his development, some other areas of his brain have vastly accelerated. Perhaps it's in compensation, or the energy being diverted elsewhere… it's hard to say, but his spacial awareness and skill with numbers has grown. He also has indicators that he has some paranormal sensing ability now. He can probably sense a demon without seeing it."

"Yes," Aleph said. There was more he wanted to say. "Mmm."

"And judge some of its strengths automatically?" the doctor tried.

"Yes," he said.

"He did do exceptionally well at countering the charge of that bull demon during the tournament," the bishop said. "This will help him, I'm sure."

He then had some virtuals races with Daleth. Aleph set himself at the 70s level, since he'd gotten used to the 60s. On finishing, he found out that Daleth had only gone for the 50s. "Did you have to show off?" Daleth asked, a bit angry.

"No," Aleph said, biting his lip. He didn't want to make him feel bad. Although, he didn't understand how these people thought that they'd known him for years. Maybe it was one of those odd things that Steven told him to keep an eye out for.

"I mean, it's good that you can handle demons that strong," Daleth said, looking aside. "But we were always keeping pace with each other. It's just weird that you pulled so far ahead of me."

"Mmm." But he'd started training at the basic sub-10 level six months ago. It had been difficult for him back then, and he hadn't been able to defend himself against that chimera. Perhaps that was really good. In that case, Daleth should be capable of the level 70 trials too.

"Maybe he can show you how to move ahead too?" Beth suggested.

"No, I'll improve myself," Daleth said, angry again.

"No..." Aleph said, not liking arguments. "No… fight."

"Uh, sorry," Daleth said, embarrassed now and rubbing his head. "You're right, we really shouldn't be arguing." He sighed.

Aleph couldn't figure out why Daleth was taking it so personally. He tried to indicate they could go into virtuals together by swapping the trial to taking two participants. But Daleth left shortly after that, leaving Aleph and Beth to work together through the trial. He went ahead and lowered the level to 40, something she was comfortable with.

They also tried some experiments to see which of them was the Messiah. But with every test they took for that, it came out that either of them could be that. When Daleth got the demon summoning program on an arm terminal of his own, both of them were able to impress an angel that the bishop got into the Center past the anti-demon guards. But she wasn't able to choose between them, merely saying that they both had bright souls. Both of them were also proven capable of blessing water when instructed in the prayer to do so.

After a few days of this, he, Daleth, Zayin, and Beth were brought into the command room. Gimmel had gone back to Arcadia, but he was connected in through a voice chat channel. "At this point, we believe the best way forward is to send Aleph and Daleth out into the city to work for the people and see what happens," the bishop said. "We have prepared some assignments for you both to see how you're doing now. Just be warned that the levels of demons in unprotected areas has been higher than predicted today. Part of what you'll be doing is looking into that."

"Sure, leave it to us," Daleth said.

"Yes," Aleph said.

The bishop bowed to them. "Thank you. Now, Daleth, since you are used to the conditions of the lower levels, we'll be sending you out to the Factory district. Their mines area has had a number of accidents that seem to be caused by a demon; we haven't determined what exactly is going on there."

"All right, I've got that covered," he said.

"And Aleph, we've received a request for you to go back to the Valhalla area," the bishop said. "The area leader, Madam, wants to locate a scientist who went missing around the same time you did, Dr. Hanada. She seems to have some extra information on him. We're interested in locating Hanada as well for questioning, so please go meet with Madam and carry out her request."

"Yes," he said.

The bishop then handed him a large brown envelope. "Also, we'd like you to give this over to her when you arrive. It's some information we wish to share with her, and we'd like her to share some in exchange beyond locating Hanada."

"Okay," he said, accepting the envelope. It felt heavy with papers.

"Beth, you'll stay with Aleph as planned," the bishop said. "Gimmel will stick with Arcadia since that area is so close to completion. And Zayin, we'd like you to take some maintenance workers down to look into the shields keeping demons out of most of Millennium. We believe something may have gone wrong down there and they will need your protection to work down there."

"Yes sir," Zayin said.

"Good, then you're all free to go to your missions for today. And you two, Aleph and Daleth, don't forget that you are to work for and with the people of Millennium. If you get any small request from them while you're out, don't hesitate to help them."

"Yes," Aleph said. He would have done that without being told.

"Sure, like I," he glanced at Aleph, "we always do."

It was nice that he could get back to Valhalla this soon; he could see how Okamoto was doing and say hello to some people who knew him on the island. While he'd never met Madam, he certainly knew of her. Many people said she had once been the most beautiful woman in all of Millennium. Some claimed that she was still that, growing old gracefully. She'd also led to Valhalla being developed as it was; it was a very popular region, although some were now claiming that Arcadia would soon be more desirable.

She lived in a big beautiful mansion at one end of the district, surrounded by trees and separated from the rest with a gorgeous road. "This is a lovely area, it's surprising," Beth said, turning around to look at everything while they walked to the mansion.

"Yes," he said, then pointed to a speck of blue he saw. "Look."

"Hmm?" She had to stop and look for a moment to see it. "Oh, is that a bluebird? That's really nice. I wonder if it's real or a fake? Could be a demonoid, or a robot."

"Four," Aleph answered.

"Hm, what do you mean?" she asked, then put her hand to her chin. "Oh, I'm sorry, um, is it a real bluebird?"

"No," he said.

"Okay, then, demonoid?"

"No." He didn't sense anything demonic off it.

"Then it's a robot?"

"Yes," he said, smiling.

"That's neat, though I wonder how you can tell?" She walked backwards a while, trying to word it. "Can you hear its mechanics somehow?"

"Yes," he said, although it was more like the music in his mind was a bit tinny when he was looking at the bluebird.

She smiled, then turned around to walk forward again. "That's wonderful; some of your skills have gotten really amazing while you were gone. But, I missed you so much. The Center felt so different without you, and I had a really hard time being happy."

"Sorry," he said. Although, he didn't see how he could have avoided leaving. He didn't understand why he'd left in the first place. Especially since he'd left Mom behind.

Then Beth slowed to come up next to him. "You know how the last Messiah, Kazuya, he had a wife named Yuka who was close to him always? I want to be like that for you. I mean, I know Daleth could also be the Messiah. I want to be friends with him, but be even closer for you."

He did need her around to speak for him, plus she was a good help in battle. "Yes," he said, thinking that would be good.

"Great!" she said, then hugged him briefly. "I'll be happy if I can be your partner, and always be with you."

Inside the mansion, they found that it was just as beautiful as outside. There was red carpet on the floor and beautiful pillars throughout the halls. A large grandfather clock was ticking against a wall and colorful fabric flowers were arranged in many elegant vases all around the place. The whole way, Beth eagerly looked over the lovely things and pointed out those she especially liked. They could spend a lot of time just looking at things here; where has she gotten all of this?

But, they had business here. Madam met them in an elegant room with a piano, dressed in a dark blue dress that fit in well with this place; a fluffy scarf around her neck looked a bit like it could tickle, though. And Aleph wasn't sure how she could stay steady on her shoes that had a long pointed back. A strange demon lounged in the room with her, quite different from the rest of this place as it had a lion's body, three canine heads, and a serpentine tail.

"Welcome to my home," Madam said, gesturing to a couch nearby. "Please, sit down and relax for a few minutes. I'm sorry I couldn't get you invited here sooner. I had my usual post-tournament gala all planned, but the Center whisked you away almost immediately."

"Aleph belonged in the Center in the first place," Beth said. "I'm Beth, I'm here assisting him with this mission."

"Good to meet you both," she said, nodding to them. "I am known as Madam, the ruler of Valhalla. This district is my pride and joy, where everyone can be happy. But still, it is a surprise to find out that you were a Center resident all along. I had heard talk about you, Aleph; I hear many things that go on in Valhalla. Even when we discount your Tournament win, you are an extraordinary young man."

"Thank you," Aleph said, bowing his head to her kind compliment. Then he passed over the envelope. "Here."

"Oh, that's from the Center's bishop," Beth explained.

"Ah, I see," she said, taking it and setting it aside. "Do you know what it's about?"

"No," he said.

Beth shook her head. "We weren't told that, simply to give it to you."

"It's odd that the Center would send something with temple knights as couriers," Madam said. "They send most things over the network, rarely with regular mail. But I'll handle that later; we have our business to discuss here."

"Then what will you have us do?" Beth asked.

She gestured to a servant there, who passed over some papers. A picture was on top. "I've been working with one of the Center scientists to safely gather and then dispose of the demons we use in the Coliseum. We want strong demons for our gladiators to excite the audience with. At the same time, we don't want them getting out into our streets."

"Hanada," Aleph said, recognizing the picture.

"Yes, that's his name," Madam said. "So you do know of him. About six months ago, he came to my mansion asking to work directly with me. He'd said that he'd split with the Center and his partner Mekada, although he wouldn't explain why at the time. But he'd done good work in the past and I trusted him, so I allowed him to work out of my mansion."

"The Center's been looking for Hanada and Mekata all that time," Beth said. "They disappeared with Aleph when there was an explosion in the lab. But, Aleph's been unable to tell us what exactly happened then."

"I'm sorry I didn't question him for details sooner," Madam said. "I prefer to be forgiving of people, letting them recover from mistakes to become better. Back to my request, after he delivered all the demons we used in the Tournament, including that fine titan you recruited, Hanada took off without a word. He was supposed to assist with the clean-up in sending back the demons; we had to lock down the Coliseum to prevent their escape, then send other gladiators like Red Boar in to hunt them down. While we have that settled, bringing Hanada back may not be as easy. And since discovering that the Center wants Hanada as well, I decided to call on you, Aleph, to go retrieve him."

"Okay," Aleph said. "Where?"

"He seems to be working in the slum area of Valhalla," Madam said. "At this point, I don't care where you bring him to, either me or the Center. I have come to realize that he's been doing some dangerous research right under my nose. You see, originally the terminals could be connected directly to the Abyss, the place where demons come from. The system got upgraded so that they could not enter our world that way, and neither could humans stumble into the Abyss by a terminal accident. Hanada has been seeking another method of opening passage to the Abyss."

"Doesn't he already have one if he can bring demons in for you?" Beth asked.

She shook her head. "What he did for us is different, an energy intensive manner that summons demons directly from the Abyss one at a time. A true passage to the Abyss would work freely both ways. We obviously don't want that open, especially within Millennium where much of the world's remaining population has gathered. You need to hurry and stop him. But since we have not managed to pin down his location, I have arranged for some assistance for you." He looked down at the large demon near her. "Cerberus?"

Cerberus got up and walked over. "Hello summoner. I am normally Madam's bodyguard, but I know this Hanada's scent. I will lead you to him once we reach the slums."

"Thank you," Aleph said, patting Cerberus on the middle head. He seemed surprised, but then graciously accepted it.

"How is this demon going to help?" Beth asked, leaning away from Cerberus.

"Mmm," Aleph put his hand to his nose.

"Don't worry, Cerberus is an excellent bodyguard and tracker," Madam said. "He used to be a loyal partner to Kazuya many years ago. When his former master died, he guarded the spot where he had fallen. It was here in Valhalla, so I tracked down the summoning program so that I could help him through his grief. After which, he has stayed at my side. I am not much of a fighter myself, so I will have to lend him to you for this mission."

"I see," Beth said, although she still seemed afraid of him. "Thank you. Since the passage to the Abyss is his intent, we should leave quickly to find him."

"Very well," Madam said. "Do you know where the bridge to the slum area is?"

"Yes," Aleph said. It made for a good running track, at least on low demon frequency days.

"Good luck, I hope Hanada doesn't cause you much trouble," Madam said, waving them off.


	5. Learning a Truth

Once outside, Aleph pointed past the tree-lined avenue; the bridge to the slum district started with a tower not far from the avenue's start. "There. Run?"

"Sure, since we don't have a vehicle to use," Beth said.

Aleph led them in a jogging pace, good for crossing ground but not a full effort. Cerberus kept up easily; Beth started out fine, but she wore down as they were crossing the bridge. When he heard her breathing start to wear down, Aleph slowed down to a walk beside her. "Okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said, though she did look relieved to be at a slower pace. "I'm good for short sprints, but that was quite a distance." After a few breaths, she smiled. "You don't seem tired at all."

He nodded. "Practice. Mmm..." he wanted to speak better. How did he put this into a sentence? It was much easier, though, to wave his hand to indicate the whole bridge and say, "Five. Practice."

"What? You used run across this bridge five times for practice?" she asked, astonished. "But it's got to be a mile long. So you'd run across five times… but that would put you on the other side."

"Ten," Aleph said.

"You were running ten miles in practice?" she asked. When he nodded, she put her hands to her mouth. "Wow, that's amazing. I don't know if I could make five miles at all in one run. In fact, I don't know if you ever ran like that before, um..." she thought.

"No," he said. There was no way that he could; what memories he had started with seeing his mother nearly seven months ago. But where was she? He could access the Center's database now, but still hadn't identified her. He could tell Hanada from a picture, so he should be able to do the same for Hiroko.

"I can remember that you were good with athletics and academics in school," Beth said, crossing her arms over her chest as they continued walking. "But it's all a bit fuzzy."

"No," Aleph said, not knowing why she remembered him. Or why he remembered her. But that only distracted him for a moment. "Mom..."

"What?" she asked, looking at him.

He closed his eyes, snapping his fingers. "Mmm." It actually hurt in his head. "M-mom… find… look… no… Hir... Hiroko. Mom."

"Hang on, don't force yourself to talk if it hurts," Beth said, taking his arm.

"Sorry," he said, putting his hand on his head. Some tears came out of his eyes. "Mom."

"Your mother..." she suddenly stopped, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. "That's really weird. I know I must have met her at some time, since she was your mother. But, I don't remember her."

"Yes," Aleph said. Maybe she'd realize what he knew. He rubbed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Especially because she is special to you; I feel heartless for forgetting about her. It's so weird. But, you mentioned Hiroko. I remember another temple knight named Hiroko who used to serve with us."

"Yes," he said. "Hiroko. Mom."

Beth shook her head. "No, that can't be. She was only a few years older than us. I think..." she opened up her arm terminal and searched through her personal files. Then she showed him a picture of herself and a few other female temple knights. "Here, this was the women's group we had, mostly for socializing when most of the knights were men."

Her. That was her. There was no mistaking it. He pointed right to her. "Mom."

"No, that's Hiroko," Beth said. "See, she would be, um, twenty-seven now, I think. There's no way she could be your mother."

"Mom." He bit his lip and was crying again. Why did she not believe him?

"Unless she's your sister and happens to look a lot like your mother?" Beth wondered, trying to figure this out. "This is really weird. But, um, actually, I'm not sure what happened with Hiroko. See, the scientist Mekata is her father and there was talk that they were involved with your disappearance, them and Hanada. It was sad because she had a newborn baby at the time who also disappeared, um..." she frowned.

"Aleph," he said. "Me."

"But that's not possible," Beth said, flipping through her photos again. "Oh yeah, I did have one of her and her son. Here."

"Yes!" he said stopping because he was trembling. He pointed them out in the picture. "Hiroko. Mom. Me. Yes."

"Aleph, but..." she looked completely confused and checked the picture again. "But her son's name was… um… it was Aleph too… what?" She looked like she had a headache from this all too.

An idea came to him; she had a lot of pictures. But could he say this so she got the idea too? "Beth," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry. Mmmm." He pointed to the photo folder. "One. You. Me. Zayin. Gimmel. Daleth. One."

"Huh, oh, do you mean if I have a picture of the five of us?" she asked, trying not to trouble him.

He nodded. "One."

"I'm sure I have more than one, since we were so close and I've taken lots of photos." She looked through the files. "There's… oh, but Daleth was out training and you weren't there in the photo. Oh, that's when… but why aren't you in here? Oh wait, when we were accepted as Temple Knights on the same day around four years ago… and there's..." she stopped. "You're not here… but that doesn't make sense. I remember you were knighted with us and there was something special when it was your turn, a feeling you were meant to be great." She checked photos near it. They were also of the ceremony, but none had him in them. "You should be here."

"No," Aleph said. He didn't remember anything like that.

"But what is this, this shouldn't be right," Beth said. Now she was crying.

"Sorry," he said. Then he pointed to the slum district. "Hanada." He clicked his tongue. There was a word. "Answer."

"You think Hanada would know about us?" she asked.

"Yes." Aleph was very sure that Hanada knew about this.

"Um, maybe? I'm sorry, I shouldn't be troubling you. I should be helping you, as your partner. But if I don't have any photos of you..." she shook her head. "We'll figure it out later. We do have to stop Hanada from his plot. Let's go."

They hurried along the rest of the bridge, but had to keep at a walking pace to not wear out Beth. At the other tower, there should have been some guards outside. There were none. There weren't any inside either; their footsteps echoed off the metal stairs and concrete walls, heard by no one else. When they got to the bottom, Aleph noticed tones in his mind that indicated that the door to the slums was locked. Beth didn't seem to have such music since she grabbed the knob and tried to turn it.

"Why is this locked?" she asked. "The passages between districts are locked down to keep order, but bridges like this in one district shouldn't be locked unless the demon alert is higher than 2.0. I don't think it's that high..." she looked at the keypad. "Um, do you know the password? I can ask security in Center."

"Mmm." Aleph looked at the keypad, hovering his fingers near the numbers. Tones hummed in his mind, two mismatched waves. They matched over 4; he pressed that. As the tones became unmatched, he shifted his hands again to find the next match, 7. 2. 8. The keypad chimed in accepting the password. Okamoto had said this was hacking and it was often seen as bad. But sometimes it was useful.

"Good, let's hurry," Beth said. The door clicked shut and locked behind them. "Must be some official order, but at least you know the password to let us back out again."

Cerberus took the lead now that they were in the slums. This was a large area with many people. After sniffing around, he said, "Got it, faint but he's around. This way." He walked down the street, not heeding the people who were hurriedly getting out of his way. The locals were quiet about it, perhaps because they were following the demon dressed as temple knights.

After several turns, they got to a hidden stairway down to a basement level. The music in Aleph's mind turned strange, almost becoming a full song. Something big was going on here. "Bad," he said as he opened up the door.

"Is something wrong?" Beth asked, nervous about going in. But she followed him and Cerberus inside.

Aleph nodded. This area was dirty with cracks in the wall; the building itself didn't feel or sound safe. Past a small hallway, they entered the large room that made up this basement. All kinds of computers had been hooked up to each other discordantly; very few of them were similar and parts were worn and old. Close to there, a sagging bookshelf was full of and surrounded by strange books, those that gave off stronger bits of the melody now in his head. Something about it felt… chaos. Chaos was here.

And where Chaos was strongest was an altar in front of a summoning circle, like the ones they had in the Heretic Mansion. Hanada was there, setting stone dolls that looked like stick figures on the pillars of the altar. Candles were lit; a bowl of ashes and a bowl of water were in place. "Hanada," Aleph called, going to him.

"Not now," the scientist said, waving without looking at them. "I'm just about done; I don't need any disruptions."

"Dr. Hanada?" Beth said, uncertain now.

"What?" he snapped, then turned. He was initially angry, but then lost that on seeing who they were. "Oh, you two. Did the Center send you after me?"

"Well yes, and so did Madam of Valhalla," she said. "But..."

"Pah, I'm not going back to any of them!" Hanada said, scowling at the floor. "There were some big ideas running around, great ones, but then they'd entangle us up with requirements and deadlines, or going back on their word and saying something was now considered wrong. Even Madam just wants me to stick to mindless tasks that any half-wit could figure out. True science needs to be unfettered to accomplish things. That's what I have here, and soon I won't even have to worry for resources. Now leave me alone."

"Wait, there's something," Beth said, then hesitated.

"Messiah," Aleph said.

That got his attention. "What, you two wanted to hear about the Messiah Project?"

"Yes," he said.

"Good for you, you're catching on," Hanada said, coming over to them instead of staying near his altar.

"What's the Messiah Project?" Beth asked. "The bishop announced that we had a Messiah in the world, we just weren't sure if it was Aleph here or Daleth."

Hanada shook his head. "Don't heed that, it's a rhetorical play. It does not matter whether it's Aleph or Daleth who ends up being called the Messiah, except maybe in the differences between them that end up putting one over the other. Personally, I've had my bets on Aleph. It's unfortunate that you got played right back into the Center's hands, though. Don't let them control you like a puppet, it'd be a waste of your talents."

"What do you mean?" Beth asked.

"You asked me to explain, so let me explain, all right?" he said, causing her to nod. He sniffed in disdain at this. "Well then, it started with a drive to increase and diversify the population. Due to the nuclear fall out, natural means of procreation became risky and a lot of mutants were born. There were even a number of half-bloods, humans bred with demons due to the circumstances we were all trying to survive. As the Center was being set up, we scientists were called to find a way to solve this. Mekata and I were the ones who had the major breakthrough, adapting previous artificial fertilization techniques to create humans through biochemistry."

"You made people?" Beth asked. She drew closer to Aleph, so he took her hand to reassure her.

Hanada nodded. "Yes, healthy diverse people to reinvigorate population growth. A good number of children born today are actually our artificial humanoids, those who were given further genetic adaptations to live easier in the current environment. That was Mekata's idea. But the whole time, I wanted to use our knowledge of genetics to create the perfect human being, one who had the best possible genes and inherent talents. But the elders kept telling us no.

"That is, until around eight years ago when they asked us if we could use our methods to create a Messiah for them. They even gave us extra material on what would be a good start on the ideal genetic coding, which I was thrilled about. We got a blood sample that had been saved from the last Messiah, Kazuya, as well as two samples from a false Messiah around the same time named Allen."

"Yuji," Aleph said.

"Yes, that's what Allen called himself when he broke away," Hanada said, soon getting lost in his explaining again. "His sample was interesting because he was recorded as dead. His body was utterly destroyed, but then he was regifted life somehow, supposedly by angels. We had blood samples from before and after that event from him, which the Church had kept along with Kazuya's. There were a few differences, including some traces of genetic material that didn't seem human. So we could only assume they were angelic in nature.

"But then Kazuya was a different story. He seemed perfectly normal for a fit young man from before the nuclear catastrophe. Many people called him the true Messiah, but while the false one Allen had angelic genes, Kazuya was entirely human. Now, there was an unusual wrinkle in his genetics; all our tests projected that he likely had a mild form of sensory crossover with a natural sixth sense for the paranormal. We couldn't find anything in the records confirming this, so we assume it was something that he kept silent about. But even that was well within range for human genetics. From that, we knew that it was possible to create a person worthy of being a Messiah through our biogenetics."

"Wait, so you made Aleph and Daleth?" Beth asked. "To be a Messiah?"

"And you, but we'll get to that," Hanada said.

"Me too?" she asked, her face getting pale.

"Beth," Aleph said, trying to reassure her.

"I'll get to it," he said, briefly annoyed. Then he came to Aleph's other side and gestured to his face. "They wanted a Messiah, so we started with Kazuya's genes. They made for a good base due to lack of damage from radioactivity. However, he wasn't good enough to be a pure ideal. I still wanted to make an ideal human and Mekata agreed to it at the time. We tweaked a lot of what we could to boost them to peak talents, to get a perfect start. Athletics, intelligence, reason, we wanted it all to be at the highest possible baseline. We even kept in that little sixth sense quirk in one of the two subjects, although we had no way to test that out. You do have one, right?"

"Mmm," Aleph held his head. What did he mean?

"I think so," Beth said. "Sometimes he says things without being able to actually know what's ahead, but he turns out right. Like, if something's bad..." she put her hand to her chest.

"We can figure that out later," Hanada said. "But yes, Aleph is who we got out of working towards an ideal Messiah, the one who should have the sixth sense. Daleth was created from the same process, although we made sure they wouldn't come out looking identical. He also shouldn't have the sixth sense; that was an experiment to see if we were correct. If I had my way, we'd be running tests on them both to see how they differ and how they are alike.

"But then, the elders had to complicate things again." Hanada paced around them, making Aleph turn to keep an eye on him. "Although I admit, it was a fascinating thing. They wanted some companions for the two potential Messiahs, not a bad idea, so we made three people who would excel but not as greatly as the two Messiahs: Gimmel, Zayin, and you Beth. You three were all made to support whichever one became the Messiah. You in particular were made to be a loving and steadfast companion to either of them, since people were familiar with Kazuya having Yuka."

"What?" she asked, shocked. "But, I love Aleph normally. He gave me this," she touched her locket.

Hanada shook his head. "No, if we gave you the other locket, you'd be just as in love with Daleth, for whatever love actually means to an artificial being like you. Your mind and memories were constructed for that purpose, just like the other two. And you all were awakened to life on the same day, not just Aleph and Daleth. They probably gave you some horoscope hocus-pocus to explain there being two potential Messiahs when they weren't sure what would actually make one."

"But that can't be true!" Beth said, squeezing her eyes tight. "I… I'm not..."

"Hanada, no," Aleph said, scolding him. "Bad."

"I'm just telling you both the truth," he said, not caring. "And there was that trouble: we could make you two into ideal human beings, but we couldn't make a Messiah for certain. The higher ups said something about you being enough to become a vessel for the soul of a Messiah, which might be the case. Paranormal study among humans is so far behind every other field. But back to what I was saying, about the fascinating request they had. They wanted one of the two of you to have a natural birthing, not an artificial start as an adult like the other four had.

"At the time, I figured they just meant to have a back-up in case the initial Messiah failed. We did a coin flip and Aleph was the one chosen for the natural birthing. It all went fine, we even had a good woman in Mekata's daughter Hiroko to help us."

"Mom," Aleph said.

"To an extent, that she birthed you," Hanada said. "Then we got a message from the elders saying that they wanted you put in the growth vats so that you were an adult too. I thought it would be interesting, but that was the last straw for Mekata and he absolutely balked at the idea. Said that it was too dangerous to put a still developing mind into a growth chamber. I suppose he was proved right to some degree given that you lost some language capacity in the process. But I'd been dying to get away from those fussy hare-brained elders, so I convinced him to get out with Aleph and Hiroko. Only something happened in the escape and we don't know where Hiroko ended up.

"Mekata wasn't happy about things, but he said he'd take care of you. Which was fine, I had other things I wanted to be doing; he could handle the boring process of post-experiment observation. But then as we were making sure he had some basic skills, he ran off all of a sudden, the one time we forgot to lock the door. He wasn't too steady on his feet during testing, but he still managed to get far ahead of us when we started looking. I thought Mekata had slipped off in searching for him, so I went to Madam's place to work there. And that's what happened with the Messiah project. It was a huge mess, but an incredible accomplishment."

"But, I..." Beth looked up at Aleph, her eyes watery and afraid, "am I really just, only here for you?"

"No," Aleph said.

"Yes you are," Hanada said, going back over to the altar. "Now leave me be, I need to get back to current things, not old ones."

"And those pictures are real, I know because I took them," she said, still trying to figure this out. "But you're not with us in any of them except the ones from the party when you came back. I know I missed you, but did I really not meet you as you, except as Hiroko's baby?" She put her head on his shoulder and sobbed.

Aleph put an arm around her to comfort her. Being like that couldn't feel good. But, what now? They still had to capture Hanada, but Beth was in no shape to be helping with that. Cerberus should be, although he was holding onto Beth…

A discordant jangle to the Chaos music entered Aleph's mind. He looked over and saw that Hanada had started his ceremony. But something wasn't right. Aleph didn't know what was going on, but the music said something was wrong. Just what…?

The black doll statute there. It wasn't supposed to be there.

A hole in the air tore open and revealed darkness.

"Hanada, no!" Aleph said, letting go of Beth and hurrying over.

"Be quiet, Mercurious is coming!" the scientist said. "I'll finally be able to tap into the stores of demonic knowledge, and gain many helpers to take care of unimportant and uninteresting tasks. And then I will have to be recognized as the true master genius among scientists!"

There was a throaty growl from the hole as something pushed it open. "The way is open," the demon said.

Hanada turned around. "Oh, Master Mercurious, you made it! Great, we can finally work together without interruption!"

Something that seemed like a violet leopard with a long white mane and beard leapt through the increasing hole, landing on Hanada. "No, I'll be taking your genius to add to my own."

"W-wait, Master Mecurious, you're supposed to work with..." he gave a bloody gurgle as Mecurious slashed open his throat, killing him in seconds.

"And then you," Mercurious said, but then eyed him curiously. "You..."

"No!" Aleph called, drawing his sword. "Bad! Cerberus!"

"On it," the white beast said, tackling the leopard off Hanada's body. He then moved aside, allowing Aleph to strike; it put a deep cut into Mecurious' shoulder.

"You won't stop me," Mecurious growled, curling his tail up then whipping venomous thorns throughout the room. A number of the computer monitors cracked. "And even if you do, the way is now open. We'll return to our rightful place and you can't invade us back."

Aleph attacked again; it didn't take long after that to finish Mercurious off. With that done, he looked at the portal. The beats of Chaos came through much stronger. Would it shut off if he took the dolls? He removed them from their places, tipped the water bowl onto the symbol on the floor, and scattered the ashes. Still, wind came from the portal, putting out the candles and darkening the basement room. A light came from the portal, bobbing around as if testing things. It raced out the wall, quickly followed by many others coming out too.

"Beth!" He hurried back and grabbed her arm, then ran with her out of the basement. Before long, it would be too dangerous for them to be in the room. Cerberus hurried out after them. Once out in the alley, he paused to look at her. "Beth? Okay?"

"I don't know," she said, her voice trembling. "What should I do? I don't know."

He wasn't sure either, but he was still borrowing a demon and the Center expected them back. "Back," he said. "Madam. Bishop." He looked to her. "Gimmel?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he's smart. Maybe he can figure things out. Um, I..."

"Come," Aleph said, tugging her out of the alley. Then someone screamed and they had to hurry to save people from the demons now appearing in the streets.

* * *

Even by the time they got back, even after all the fighting they had to do, Beth still felt dazed and shocked over what happened. Perhaps more so. So many people had died in the slums and there hadn't been anything she and Aleph could do to save everyone. They did get the bridge tower unlocked so people could try escaping that way. But the expanses of water did nothing to stop the demons flowing out of Hanada's portal.

"We've sent other temple knights to see about sealing off the slum area in Valhalla entirely," the bishop said as they spoke about what happened in the evening debriefing meeting. "We also have to close up the mines in the Factory as it's become too dangerous for ordinary citizens."

"You didn't warn me about the cars," Daleth said, the scent of the recovery vats still on him.

"We didn't know about them from the workers' reports," the bishop said.

"Well those cars were angry about someone called Betelgeuse, so that's probably the demon that's the center of all the trouble," he said.

The bishop nodded to acknowledge that. "And no progress was made on the main seals."

"We couldn't approach them," Zayin said. "I had to call everyone back because it would be inch by inch progress against all the demons down there."

The bishop nodded. "Valhalla is now to be considered extremely dangerous, but the demons have not completely breached the other four districts. We've still got room to defend and fight against them. You four go ahead and rest; we'll need your strength tomorrow to reclaim Valhalla and keep the other districts safe."

As they left the meeting, Beth got Aleph's attention. "Um, will you be okay on your own for this evening? I want to talk with Gimmel alone."

"Yes," he said, then patted her shoulder. "Mmm. Good… luck?"

"Close enough," she said, smiling for his effort at least. "Have a good night."

She then headed off for the terminal that would take her to Arcadia. Because it was experimental and under close guard until completion, only one access point was open to the new district. While she hadn't been here in a while… had she ever been here? No, he'd started on-site work on it only in the six months that Aleph was missing. Everything else he'd done before was within the Center. Sometimes she had visited him at work with… but that wasn't real.

Shaking her head, she showed her ID to get past the guards and entered a password that Gimmel had given her at one time. Other terminals had a metal plate that would teleport anyone standing on or hovering just over it. This one had a row of capsules that would teleport whoever was in them. When she went to one to make sure it was usable, a message went across the capsule's status screen. 'You came to see me, Beth? -Gimmel.'

There were options on the screen, so she pressed, "Yes'.

'Come on by, my place is past the forest path,' he replied, then opened up the capsule's door for her.

These transports were more claustrophobic than the traditional ones; the cover shut tight over her. Gimmel said they were for sanitary purposes, somehow. Moments later, she found herself in the entrance gate into Arcadia. She left the building to figure out where he meant by the forest path.

On stepping out, she gasped in wonder. The sky was so blue. And the ground was covered in green grass and colorful wildflowers, lined with paths worn naturally into the dirt. It was like nowhere else she had been in her whole life, however long that really was. Was this even near Millennium? Was it like how the Earth had been before the disasters of the past century? It was beautiful and she already loved it here.

People were walking around in beautiful clothes, very unlike what the rest of Millennium wore. One woman in a white dress with colorful beads stopped by her. "Hello, welcome to Arcadia. From the look on your face, this must be the first time you've been here."

"Yes," she said. "I came to speak with Gimmel; he's an old friend of mine." Relatively old…

"Sure, he lives back there," she said, pointing to a path nearly hidden in the thick growth of trees around the cluster of beautiful white buildings. "Just stay on the path and you'll end up right outside the house of Lord Gimmel."

"All right, thank you." Beth headed off into the trees. In doing so, she started feeling calmer. This place was so beautiful and peaceful. All along, they had said their goal was to make all of Millennium like this. The thousand year kingdom would truly be like this, somewhere that soothed the heart just being there. No, it'd be a place where one didn't need one's heart soothed at all.

Even with his house right at the end of the path, Gimmel still waited outside for her. "Welcome, Beth, I'm glad you could make it in for a visit," he said, smiling warmly at her. "Especially at times like these. I always thought Valhalla's sinful nature would catch up to it, but I couldn't imagine it'd be this bad."

"It was awful, we couldn't do much," she said. "But, that's not what I came over to talk about. Um, I need to tell you about Aleph, and the rest of us, what Hanada told us before he broke open that path from hell."

"Something about Aleph and Hanada?" he asked, concerned. "Here, why don't you come inside and relax? It'd be easier to talk than being out in the open like this."

"Sure," she said, following him inside.

The houses of Arcadia were just as beautiful on the inside. The furnishings alone exceeded what had been in Madam's home. But while her mansion had been full of richness and luxury, natural touches had been given to everything inside this home. The flowers were real, for one thing. The couch he invited her to sit on seemed perfectly balanced on arched boughs of natural wood with dark smooth bark.

After a moment when he let her alone to gather her thoughts for this, he came back with some lemonade and sliced fruits. "Now what did that eccentric man Hanada tell you?" he asked, sitting by her.

"That we were all artificially made," she told him. Then she explained it all to him, even how Aleph seemed to have some knowledge of it. "He's how he is because they messed up in raising him too fast," she finished with. "He's like an actual child, and it's so much easier to see in him when you know. Even so, he's figured out some of it himself. He managed to ask me for a picture of the five of us before the tournament night one, and I don't have any like that. I don't have any photos in my terminal from over a year ago, even though I remember myself being younger when I started taking them."

"That is concerning," Gimmel said, sitting back in the couch and thinking. Like everything else, he was taking this rationally, with a cool mind. "Can you find any photos of him older than that tournament profile picture?"

She shook her head. "No, except the ones of him and Hiroko. He even knows she's his mother. Actually, he really wants to find her. He's pretty good at controlling his emotions, but he ended up in tears about his mother while we were heading out to find Hanada."

"To a young child, their mother would be a central figure in their life," he said. "This is… disturbing. I certainly had no inkling that I might be so young."

"Well you have Arcadia to work for," Beth said. "I don't have anything, except to be Aleph's partner. Only, I'm not sure he can understand love like I do. And, I don't know if I understand it either. I thought I had been dating him for a long time, but Hanada said that just changing my locket would make me believe that about Daleth instead, like instantly. Am I really not supposed to be anything more than someone who's always with one of them? I tried to think of who else I might be, but everything I can think of about myself is connected to Aleph or Daleth in some way."

"Hmm..." he closed his eyes in thought, then picked up the harp in front of him.

Beth hung her head. "And I'm not the one who will choose that, someone else is. It's like I'm not really a person, just an accessory. And now I don't know who I am, or what I should do."

Gimmel started playing, plucking the strings with his long fingers in a slow rhythm. She knew he did that when serious in thought sometimes; several of her implanted memories and actual memories proved that. "But now that you've realized that, you could make yourself something else if you put your mind to it. You don't have to be an accessory to one of them."

"I suppose I could, but I don't know what else I'm good for," she said.

His fingers moved rapidly, catching her eye. It was soothing and… hypnotic. "You are very good at that, because that's what we need you to be. We need a Messiah, now more than ever. But, the Messiah is still human, no matter how extraordinary or ordinary he is. And so, we need the Messiah's supporter and steadfast companion… his eternal partner."

Those words were soothing. "Yes… that is… who I am..."

She drifted off into sleep before she realized it.

* * *

Gimmel continued playing, to make sure she stayed asleep. Then he tucked her into a more comfortable position, curled up near him. "I already knew all that," he said, back to plucking strings again. "It was disturbing to learn, yes. But the truth does not alter one essential fact: we need a Messiah for the thousand year reign of God to begin. And we need one that is more in line with God's own wishes than Kazuya was. If that Yuji was correct, Kazuya wasn't a Messiah either. We need a Messiah and that it is going to be Aleph."

Setting his harp in his lap, Gimmel pointed to a particular point in the air. A black screen appeared, followed by a few others. Some people needed to be contacted. "What is it, Gimmel?"

"I need to do a mind reset on the female companion," he said. "She spoke with Hanada and learned the truth."

"That's unfortunate. Go ahead. The Messiah was with her?"

"Yes he was," Gimmel said. "But a mind reset may be too dangerous for him. He already has brain damage from something that occurred when he was abducted."

"Do you think it was the designer drugs?"

"I doubt that," he said, checking another screen. Data was already skimming by for something he wanted to find. "Said damage is the only sign that matches well with his state when he was in the third-class hospital. What's more likely is that the growth acceleration went wrong; it was designed for blank slates like us, not a partially developed mind like an infant's. Attempting to reset his mind would only fracture it further, potentially making him incapable of his duties."

"I see. That could be trouble."

He nodded. "Especially in concern of his birth mother Hiroko. He is looking for her; Beth confirmed that for me. If you do send him out to the Factory area, make sure that you know where she is and that she is inaccessible to him."

"Obviously."

"Also, see about doctoring some photographs to comply with our stated history. That appears to be what convinced Beth to let Hanada tell her the truth. With him dead, that's not a worry. But Mekata may be able to do the same. Doctored photos would allow us to pressure Aleph into forming his own false memories, which he would believe more than implanted ones."

"We're still tracking Mekata down. Thank you for contacting us so quickly; we'll work on those photos and make sure they end up with all of you. Since you have her in Arcadia, go ahead with the mind reset there. We'll send someone to escort her to her room when you're done."

"Thank you for trusting me," Gimmel said. Once he ended that call, he settled in and focused on the mind reset. "I'm sorry, Beth, but this is for our Messiah and God's kingdom."


	6. Cars, Snakes, and Snowmen

The next day, his and Daleth's orders were swapped. Aleph was to go with Beth to the Factory area to take care of what was in the mines, along with seeing what was wrong with the Demi Nandis. Meanwhile, Daleth and Zayin were going out to Valhalla to work with Gimmel on closing the portal Hanada opened. Aleph would have liked to help Valhalla more, but going to Factory was what the bishop wanted him to do.

As they were heading to the entrance to Factory, Aleph watched Beth. She seemed happy today, even humming a tune. "Okay?" he asked.

"I'm better than okay, I'm doing great!" she said, smiling joyfully. "Was I strange yesterday? Sorry, I'm not sure what all happened."

This was strange. "Bad," Aleph said, worried for her still.

"I'm sure it must have been, because it's a total blank to me," Beth said. "But it'll be fine; I'm sure God will lead us to a way to close that portal and make things safe again. For now, we've got to make sure we do well here and prove that you'll be the Messiah everyone's been praying for."

"Okay," he said, since he did want to do that. But she didn't remember again? It felt bad to Aleph, although he was happy that she was happy again. What was right? He wished he could ask Mom about these things. Or even Okamoto, but he didn't get a chance to talk with him yesterday.

She then moved closer and hugged his arm. "And I will always be by your side as your eternal partner, always."

"Mmm..." For some reason, that made him feel uncomfortable. If she didn't remember the things they learned, it'd be hard to be her partner and friend.

"Then what are we doing today?" she asked, staying by him.

Hadn't she been listening at the meeting? This really wasn't right. "Factory, go," he said.

"Oh right, those were the bishop's orders," Beth said. "I wish we could have had orders to work with all our friends, but I suppose there's too much to get done for that now. Maybe some day ahead; it'd be an amazing sight with you and Daleth fighting demons together. Though I'm happy getting to be with you at least."

Then he nudged her. "Mmm, no."

"Oh, sorry, is that making it hard on you to walk?" she asked, then moved aside. But she kept hold of his hand. "Okay, but I don't want to lose you."

"Okay," he said, although she'd have to let go when they had to fight demons.

It didn't take long for them to see the pastures for the Demi Nandis from the entrance walkway. Some workers were standing there, watching the fields. "The production for this set of produce is going to be terrible," one worker said. "It's a shame, a stain on our records."

"Yeah, I hate not being able to work out there and tend to the precious crops," another said. "Makes me feel worthless just standing here."

Glancing up, Aleph noticed a speaker that was playing a song, like a woman singing without words. That was actually outside his head, obscuring the tones in his head some. That could be trouble. "Mmm."

"Excuse me," Beth said, getting the workers' attention. "So those are the Demi Nandis that are causing trouble? We came from the Center to take care of things."

"Sure, hope you can do better than the last guy who came," a worker said. "The Demi Nandis have been restless ever since that strange demon showed up in the mines. The other guy was asking about the mine demon and somehow got the Demi Nandis all worked up. When they broke out of their pasture, he tried fighting them, but that only made them madder. They've been rampaging out there ever since."

"And costing us a lot of hours we could be working," another worker said wistfully. "Although cleaning up that torn up field is going to be a great project to tackle."

Shouldn't the Demi Nandis be tired then? "Come," Aleph said to Beth, then headed down to the pastures. "Sleep."

"Now's not the time for sleep," she said.

He shook his head and pointed to the red cows. At least they weren't on fire like the Red Bulls. "Sleep."

"Oh, you mean to put them to sleep?" Beth asked, then smiled. "That's clever! Okay, but you might have to get them to stop since they're running really fast."

Aleph called on Titan to help. "Stop," he instructed, pointing to one of the Demi Nandis.

"Just stop them?" Titan asked, puzzled.

"Mmm," he rubbed his head. "Food." The people of Millennium ate these demonoids, so killing them carelessly was out of the question.

"I see. Very well." Titan got into the path of the nearest approaching Nandi, then grabbed its head in one hand to stop it. When Aleph caught the next, he had to use both hands like with the bulls. The other Demi Nandis started coming for them then, only to be caught in Beth's mass Dolimer that put them all to sleep. "Now what?"

"There," Aleph said, pointing to the fenced in pasture. He then picked up the Demi Nandi that he'd stopped; it was heavy, but he got it and carried it over to the pasture. Titan was able to grab two by their collars and bring them over that way.

The workers had come down to get started on repairing the fields and pasture fence immediately. "Thanks man, we're really grateful you could get them rounded up," one of them said. "Though, uh, I've never seen anybody pick up a sleeping Demi Nandi and carry it that distance. I can understand your demon, but you?"

"Practice," Aleph said, although his arms were sore. When he rubbed at them, Beth helped by casting a healing spell over him.

"That's still amazing," the worker said, then got out a key. "Here, since you got them handled so quickly, this will get you into the mines through that door in the cliff. Just, be careful. It's always dark in the mines, but ever since that mystery demon got in, there's been patches of magic darkness scattered throughout the mines. You might end up falling in a pit on accident stumbling around too much."

"Thank you," Aleph said. Darkness… it would be a tough place.

"We'll have it handled today," Beth said, confidant in him.

In the mine area, some workers were still in the area in spite of the demon. "It's much further down, so these levels are still open," one said. "Not that there's much left here, but it doesn't feel right not working."

"Working is our joy!" someone further in called, getting some cheers.

The man speaking to them smiled. "Right."

"What… demon?" Aleph asked. That was right, right? It made a part of his mind twitch.

"We don't have a clue what it is," the miner said. "But a couple of guys saw it and survived; they said it was like a giant snake with a face. It's been causing the darkness as well as some cave-ins of the lowest levels. If you intend to go after it, take some safety helmets from over there. The lights won't help much for the magic darkness, but they'll at least protect your head from falling rocks."

"Thank you," he said.

After they'd both strapped on the safety helmets, they headed on down. The first couple of levels seemed normal except for the demons lurking around. There were even workers down where the demons were, using rosaries and other means of keeping the demons away. But on the third level, Aleph heard a different tune in his head. Darkness… a few feet ahead, the very air seemed to swallow up the light cast by their helmets.

"What is it?" Beth asked as he'd stopped. She looked around, eventually noticing that her headlight got cut off at a certain point. "Oh, that must be the darkness magic."

Aleph closed his eyes, listening carefully. Some parts of the floor were weak or missing. Those were pits. And... some Chaos music was much further away. Maybe he could listen his way through this like he listened through passwords.

Then he glanced at Beth beside him. That wouldn't work. "No."

"It's not the magic?" she asked, puzzled.

"Mmm," why did some questions have to be so hard? He pointed to the dark area. "Dark." Then he pulled her closer. There was a word… what was it… "Follow."

"Of course, I'll always follow you," she said, happy at that.

"No," he said, getting frustrated with this. "Go… hmmm." Then he pulled her so that she was standing behind him, with one of her hands on his elbow. "Follow."

"Oh, you want me to follow right behind you," she asked.

"Yes," he said, losing some tension as she got it.

She smiled. "Okay, whatever you want."

By making sure that she was following the exact path he did, Aleph didn't have to worry about Beth falling in any holes. The first patch was small, but it made it clear that such caution was a good thing to have. Aleph felt like he could see the tip of his nose and not much further past that. Inside the darkness, the music in his head came through clearer. Weak areas sounded bad, safe areas sounded normal. Outside the darkness, he heard notes that indicated a demon coming to check out what was going on. And still much further, the Chaos thing was quite strong.

The darkness further down got much thicker, even covering up one entire level. And the demons prowled freely in the darkness, including the demon cars that had harmed Daleth so badly. Even without the music's help, it was clear that they were strong and swift. At one point, Aleph decided to try recruiting one. Having a demon car as his ally would encourage the other cars to not attack them. He waited until they encountered one out of a dark area. "Talk?" he asked, raising his hand to stop it.

Its driver side window creaked down as the engine growled. The zombie driver (who seemed to be frozen in a pose of fear) called out, "What, you want _me_ to stop and talk?"

"Stop?" It was a vehicle and the others like to zoom through the tunnels, only fighting if they got in the way. "No. Talk."

The way the engine flared, it seemed like the car was laughing. "Well I ain't one for talkin'," the driver said for it. "But I'm even less a one for stoppin', so lemme ask you something: you wanna go out for a beer at the bar?"

"No," Aleph said. It was something his ID card restricted him from doing, so he figured it was probably bad.

"Good! I can't be drinkin' and drivin', see? People say it's bad for me, but I don't really care as long as I can go fast. Rrrrrrzzzzzooooom!"

"Okay," he said.

"What's the car find so funny?" Beth asked, puzzled since she could only hear one side of the conversation.

Aleph shrugged, then brought out one of the canned drinks he'd bought to befriend demons with. It wasn't up for alcohol, but maybe some coffee? "Here. Come?"

Driving up by him so the driver could grab the coffee, the car replied, "Heh heh, you've got good tastes! But then, yer a temple knight, ain't ya?"

"Yes," he said, since that was the truth.

The car's engine revved up at that. "Then yer basically a cop, and I don't like cops because they're always getting after me for speeding and reckless driving. I mean, maybe yer cool for a cop-ish person, but yer still a cop, so no thanks." It then sped off into the darkness that he and Beth had just left.

Watching it go, Aleph rubbed his head. Were all the cars going to have that kind of attitude? "Mmm."

"That was awful rude, taking your gift and fleeing," Beth said. "But I guess that's better than us fighting it. After just one battle with those things, I understood how Daleth got so badly hurt despite him being really good too."

While he tried a few more times, the cars all refused to go with him. Aleph gave up on recruiting them and focused on getting himself and Beth through the mine. Perhaps the demons could hear similar notes because they avoided pits and painful looking rough patches of ground too. Fighting the demons with Beth in the darkness was tough. He had to tell her to move aside and stay where she was. She wasn't good at hitting the demons with her spells in the magic darkness. However, she could always affect him with good spells.

At one point, he heard the music of Chaos almost directly below. There was a nearby pit in the darkness too. Aleph stopped to grab Beth's hand. "Down."

"Stairs down?" she asked.

"No."

"A pit? We're going to drop into a pit?"

"Yes." It might hurt, but it would get them to their target.

"Okay, I trust you," Beth said, squeezing where she held near his elbow. "And I can heal us if it's a rough drop."

"Good," he said, then guided her over. "Here." He stepped them forward and the floor crumbled right away under their feet. They dropped a full level; Aleph landed on his feet, bracing himself with his arms and hands. Beth wasn't as lucky and slipped her landing. "Okay?"

"Yeah, just scraped my leg some," she said, healing that away. "Lucky I didn't twist my ankles, but we're down here. Now what?"

Something laughed; it didn't sound human. "Now we're going to play a game," a voice said, coming close. There was no magic darkness down here, so they saw a huge white snake with colorful spots crawling toward them. As the workers had said, it had a distorted human face, grinning with many sharp teeth. "This is good, I was just getting bored and about to go up after some more workers for playthings. But you two will do. I am Betelgeuse; what kinds of games do you like?"

"No," Aleph said, drawing his sword.

"He's right, we're here to get rid of you," Beth said, standing up. She didn't seem to be having trouble, so it hadn't been a bad landing.

"Ugh, so my visitors have to be boring about things?" Betelgeuse asked, lifting his head higher than they stood. "Fine, if you came looking for death, you've found it now. Enjoy it while you can."

Something was coming, but not from Betelgeuse. Aleph quickly grabbed Beth and pulled her aside in time for one of the demon cars to come barreling through the tunnel, wailing with its horn. "Yeeeeehaaaaw, this is how I repay my coffee guy!" the car shouted gleefully.

Even though he should have seen it coming, Betelgeuse got rammed head on by the car, nearly splitting its hood apart. Angered, the large snake bashed his head into the hood of the car. Aleph swapped to his gun and shot Betelgeuse several times with he was occupied with the car.

The demon car's energy was waning rapidly. "Stop," Aleph said to Beth, pointing his gun to Betelgeuse before shooting the demon snake again.

"Okay, I'll try," she said.

She ended up angering Betelgeuse rather than shocking or paralyzing him. But, it had the result he wanted, keeping the demon from escaping once the demon car perished. They took some heavy hits, but endured through and defeated Betelgeuse as intended.

News of their victory spread so rapidly that the miners were returning to lower levels as they were returning upward towards home.

* * *

The next day, there was only one piece of good news. "Demon threat levels in the Factory have lowered thanks to Aleph and Beth's efforts," the bishop said at their meeting. "We've also kept them out of the Center and Arcadia. But Valhalla is still under siege. Daleth and Zayin were not able to break into the slum area to let Gimmel close the portal."

"The password on the bridge got changed, that's why," Daleth said, then grumbled something under his breath.

"Not even the guards there knew what it was anymore," Zayin said. "I tried an administrator passcode, but it wouldn't work."

"We've been unable to determine what it was changed to," the bishop said. "We would like to evacuate who we can from Valhalla, but finding where to house everyone there is an issue. It is Millennium's most populated area. Added onto that, Holytown has seemingly gone silent. We know there were multiple reports of demons being there, but they have not responded to our communications since around midnight. As a result, we're sending all of you into Holytown to clear out the district of demons. We most want to beware of them setting up a second portal there."

"Do we know what kind of demons they were dealing with?" Daleth asked.

The bishop turned a page on his clipboard. "The last reports we got said that the two demons they were most concerned about were King Frost, who has made the region far colder than it should be, and a powerful Basilisk that has been making the air poisonous everywhere. Basilisks are also known for turning people to stone; we will issue you all charms to block out status ailments like that. But, for you two, Daleth and Aleph, your demons won't be affected by the charms."

"Okay," Aleph said. Unicorn and Chimera should be fine, although Titan could have trouble against the basilisk.

"Sure, I'll just go up to the bio lab and buy some stuff off them for the demons," Daleth said.

"I'll send word up ahead of you that they should issue you both a certain quantity to carry out this mission," the bishop said. "Even if you all will be protected from stoning, poisoning, and freezing, you should still take care in handling these demons. Other temple knights will keep the lines in Valhalla and in the sealed area below us."

After they gathered the charms and potions, the four of them walked down to the entrance to Holytown. "Gimmel?" Aleph asked, looking up to Zayin.

"As far as I know, he's been instructed to find other means to unlocking that door and strengthening the seals," Zayin said. "He's also keeping up firewalls around the virtuals where viral demons have formed. Gimmel came up with the anti-virus demons that usually keep the viral ones in check, but we don't want to see those firewalls chipped away, releasing the viral demons into the entire electronic system of Millennium."

"Gimmel's best at that, so we can trust him to it," Beth said.

Holytown was cold, enough that a light snow was drifting through the air. Frost covered every window and patches of ice made the streets slick. And throughout the streets, there were many bodies. Some were frozen, others looked sick and twisted with pain. And demons were everywhere, some of them frozen as well. Aleph felt strange being here as Zayin and Daleth headed off into the district. This was strange.

"What?" he asked, pointing to one of the bodies hanging out of a window.

"They're all dead," Beth said, troubled but trying to put it aside. "There's nothing we can do for them, except to defeat the two demons that killed them."

"No?" Aleph asked. Couldn't they be helped by magic or a hospital? He'd been hurt pretty bad by the chimera a long time ago.

"Their lives are over, so we can't help them," she repeated. "Death came for them. Come on, let's go."

"Mmm..." it didn't seem right. That was how life ended? Death, and they were all in pain. That wasn't right. Did they still feel pain, or was that pain the last thing they'd known? Either seemed horrible.

They had to fight a number of demons just to get further down the street, but Aleph was still thinking about the unfortunate dead. Had Mom died? No, she had to be out there. He didn't want to consider that she'd be like these unmoving bodies forever. He was going to find her, wherever she was, whatever trouble she was in.

"Aleph!"

The shout from Beth was the only warning he got of a demon rushing right for them. The basilisk crashed into Aleph, knocking them both to the street. While he bit his lip and tried not to cry, it hissed and seemed furious at him for getting in the way. Beth tried to paralyze it, but he felt that wasn't going to work. Aleph got back to his feet and readied his sword.

"Get back here, you bastard!" Daleth shouted, coming running down the street after the basilisk. The demon turned its chicken head back at him and hissed. Its feet turned as if it would run.

But the distraction was good. Aleph rushed in and cut the basilisk deeply in its leg. It screamed and tried to slam its sharp beak into him. As he was paying attention now, Aleph easily got out of the way and slashed at its eyes instead. Daleth fired a gun at the basilisk and together, the three of them took the demon down.

"That's one of them," Beth said, then smiled at them. "Good job, you two!"

"No, why'd you have to go and steal my kill?" Daleth asked angrily, pointing his gun at Aleph. "I should have been the one to kill it, I had it!"

"Mmm," Aleph said, stepping back and tearing up. This was a terrible situation; did he have to yell at him too?

"And stop being a baby about everything," Daleth said, though he dropped the aim of his gun away. "We're both supposed to be Messiahs, so act like a man."

"Hey, you two should be working together, not fighting each other," Beth said, pleading with him. "Please? Let's go track down King Frost now and be rid of him too. We can do this together; we could even call in Zayin..."

"No, I'll prove myself better than this damaged fake by taking care of King Frost myself," Daleth said, then stormed off elsewhere.

Beth came over to Aleph's side. "It's okay, he's the one being stubborn and rotten. But he's not bad. Remember? We were all friends."

"No," Aleph said, then sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Mmm. Bad."

"We were great friends," she said, opening up her terminal and looking for her pictures. "See? This is a good one."

The picture she showed him wasn't something he remembered, the five of them in front of a flower garden at the Center. They were all in the temple knight uniforms and the lighting seemed odd. "No," Aleph said, shaking his head. "Frost."

"Right, that is more important," she said, sending the picture back to storage. "I wish Daleth would work with us again, but looks like we'll just have to search on our own."

Aleph didn't feel happy, but they had been told to do this and it should be done. Otherwise, more people would end up dead like all those here around them. He listened for the harmony of the air, the snow falling and the ice all around. There was a distinctive pattern to it. Following where that pattern strengthened and started overpowering the other music, he led Beth to a warehouse within sight of a large church surrounded by icicle laced construction supports. Inside, there were a number of storage rooms. Some doors were even frozen over.

But they were able to enter the warehouse where King Frost was lurking. He was built from a mound of smaller Jack Frosts that all melted and molded together to form a giant jolly snowman wearing a huge silver crown and carrying a snowflake-tipped scepter. "Heeee-hoooo!" he called in a near deafening chorus of voices. "This is grrrreeeaaaat! I can freeze anything I want, ho!"

"No," Aleph said, getting his sword ready.

"What, you would dare interrupt my Royal Heee-ho Highness?" King Frost asked. "Never! Now, you will be frozen stiff too, ho!" He pounded the wall with his scepter and made giant icicles drop down all over the room.

Beth threw an item that made a column of fire appear under King Frost's feet. "Aleph will stop you! He's the Messiah, I know it!"

It was very cold, but Aleph had gotten used to the cold now. His demons could handle themselves, so he left them to do as they liked. Following the tones in his mind, he ran up the mound of smaller frosts to strike at King Frost's chest, an area that felt weaker than the rest. King Frost shook to try getting him off, but Aleph was able to grab his large collar and stay where he was to keep attacking up high. It was more effective than trying to attack him around the base of the mound.

At the end of the battle, King Frost burst into a cloud of snow, covering them in white. Something blue and black landed onto the floor with a thump as Aleph dropped down safely from his perch. He checked on the thing and discovered that it was somebody's head. The black hair was all scraggly and frost patterns showed on the skin. Who was this? There was a tune when he looked at the head, something that felt old and regal, different from King Frost.

The tune shifted into words.

"Hmm?" Aleph crouched down and tilted the head to look up at him. The eyes were closed.

"That's..." Beth didn't sound happy to see the head. "That's weird. Why did he have a severed head with him?"

"Where… are…?" the voice with the tune said. "Kami."

"Lost?" He picked up the head, thinking about what to do.

"We lost..." the voice said, sounding like a man. "Find… must find… sun…"

"Um, Aleph, what are you going to do with that head?" Beth said, keeping some distance.

"Find. Sun." He set the head down, then used his arm terminal to store it away. How would he help the head? Aleph wasn't sure, but he would try.

"If that's what you want..." she said, sounding like she didn't want to be involved with the severed head. She brushed some snow off herself. "Let's get back to the Center and warm up; things should return to normal here in Holytown soon."

"Yes," Aleph said, getting up to leave with her.


	7. Showdown of Messiahs

For the next week, the temple knights worked to reduce the amount of demons around. Aleph, Daleth, Beth, and Zayin were sent into Valhalla those days, to win back ground that the demons had taken. Although others had failed to crack the passcode on the slum bridge, Aleph was able to get through it on the first try again. This let them reach Hanada's basement lab again so they could properly seal up the one-way portal that had been left open all this time.

"It'll be all clean-up work now, thanks to you," Beth said, feeling happy for Aleph even though that had all been yesterday. People all over Millennium already knew his name as the Tournament champion, but now they praised him as their new hero, their new Messiah that would complete the work that Kazuya had begun.

But for Aleph, none of that seemed to matter. He was near one of the scenery windows now, poking at its screen moodily. The view from the Center wasn't all that great, due to the protective walls that kept Millennium clean and safe. However, these windows could give all kinds of views. It currently had a vast mountain range, with snow tipped peaks and alpine forests.

"We could change the view," she said, uncovering the panel. She wanted to make him happy so changing the subject seemed best. "How about a beach view?"

He got startled when the screen shifted to a wide tropical expanse, with white sandy beaches below and a vibrantly blue bay out to the horizon. He tapped it again, causing a waft of salt-scented air to come from the vents nearby. "Pretty."

"There's some nice ones," Beth said. "We can even change the time," she shifted it to a vibrant sunset where the sun melted into the waves.

Aleph stared at it, then smiled.

"Though it'll change to the current time when we walk away," she said, looking into the screen. "This one's nice and romantic, don't you think? I would love to walk along a beach like this with you someday."

"Mom," he said, then seemed lost and sad again.

Why didn't he act loving to her? Had something changed that much in him when he'd had that awful accident with the drugs six months ago? They used to be so close and this hurt. "Nobody knows what happened to her," Beth said, trying to be supportive. But, something bothered her about it. It was like she'd forgotten something.

"Go," he said. "Find. Mom." He closed his eyes and seemed pained.

"We'll have to see if there's anything the bishop needs us to do today," Beth said. "If not, or if we have to go to certain places, we could go find a psychic to help search for her."

Aleph didn't react immediately, but then nodded and started to head off to the meeting room. Beth followed after him, trying to think of something that might put his attention to her again. But no matter what happened, she'd still love him. It was who she was.

In the meeting room, the bishop seemed concerned. "Oh, here you both are. We're not having the usual meeting today. I'd like to congratulate you again for fixing the portal, but we have a new problem."

"What's that?" Beth asked.

"It's Daleth," he said. "We got into an argument last night and he took off afterward, not returning to his apartment. He's on his own so much that I thought it was for the best to leave him be for a while. But now he's declared that Aleph is the Anti-Messiah and is trying to defame him."

"No," Aleph said.

"Right, we believe in you," the bishop said with a nod. "We need to track down Daleth and bring him back to the Center. The elders and I will have a talk with him about this behavior. Meanwhile, you need to keep as you have, fighting demons you come across and helping people. We've seen signs that Daleth is either in Holytown or Valhalla, so please search those districts for him."

"Okay," Aleph said.

"This is bad," Beth said. "But, we can't hurt Daleth. He's our friend too."

That made Aleph close his eyes. Was he angry at Daleth? "Yes," he said, agreeing to her.

"We would rather he not be hurt," the bishop said. "It should be easier out there with the demons reduced in number, but still, be careful."

Someone then came into the room. "Oh, wait, you both," the robed messenger said. "I was just about to tell the bishop, we got a message from Daleth. He's challenged Aleph to a showdown at the Coliseum, a death match style challenge."

"What?" Beth asked, horrified. "But, why? They shouldn't be fighting."

"Maybe he had more contact with the demons on his long excursions than we knew of," the bishop said. "We may not be able to trust him anymore, especially in challenging our potential savior. But you had best go answer him."

"Okay," Aleph said, heading out.

"But we can't..." What were they thinking? Beth hurried after Aleph and caught his arm before they got to the terminal. It was hard because he could walk fast when he wanted. "Aleph! You can't kill Daleth!"

Thankfully, he nodded. "Yes."

At least he was still being sensible. "But you're still going to meet him in the Coliseum?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to accept his challenge?" she asked, afraid for him.

"Yes," he said, then pointed back. "Bishop."

"Oh, yes, I know the bishop asked you to, and we should, as temple knights," Beth said. That was right and yet, not right. It didn't make sense. "Um…"

"Kill? No," Aleph said.

He sounded like he had an idea of how to resolve this. "All right, I trust you to make the right choice," Beth said.

Despite this having only just been announced, there were already people streaming into the Coliseum to watch. Aleph waved her over to another entrance, one he must have been used to as a former gladiator. There were only a few people here, but they were all very busy. It smelled like sweat even here.

One of the staff quickly spotted them and came over. "Oh, Aleph! Great to see you so soon; people are eager to see what's about to happen."

"Is this really appropriate?" Beth asked. "I mean, to settle who the Messiah is with a death match. They're both good men who fight demons well."

"The Center approved of it, so we have no problem with it," the stadium worker said. "It's wonderful to get a match of this caliber outside of a big tournament. Everybody's really excited to see prophecy come to life when the Messiah fights the anti-messiah. It's a big sign that it's all real, after the mess that was the past week with the huge demon influx. And good for some extra profit before things slow down, it'll help us get by until another tournament is organized."

"Well do they have to kill the other at the end?" she asked.

"No," Aleph said.

"Technically, that is true," the staff worker said. "The victor can opt to not kill his opponent. But the audience usually hates that when it was announced as a death match. If you put on enough of a good show, though, they'll be excited enough to forgive some mercy. And this is a true solo match, as demons are forbidden as well."

Then how could she make sure this didn't end in death if Daleth was the one who called for it? As soon as she asked that of herself, Beth knew. "Could I go out into the arena too?"

"It's a one on one match, so you couldn't participate," the staff worker said.

"Please?" Aleph asked.

"I'm close to both of them, so I want to help referee the match, so they don't get too caught up in things," Beth said.

"That would be an interesting addition to the match, a girl both the competitors like," the staff worker said. "All right, we'll allow for that."

"Great!" Now she could make sure they both lived through this.

* * *

Being without demons, without teammates… it was a grueling match against Daleth. He was quick and strong; Aleph spent much of the time trying to evade and block his attacks. The one attack of his that had got through hurt a lot and was bleeding. He wanted to call out a demon to heal, but that wasn't possible. And Daleth wasn't giving him time to use an item to heal either. His sword swung so quickly; Aleph had never met another could could match him like this.

"Daleth," he said as their blades crossed and they were locked still pushing against each other. "No."

"I will not let you become the Messiah," Daleth said, his eyes so hateful it was frightening. "You were a good rival once, but now you're nothing but a broken mess that gets lucky sometimes. And I don't see why Beth ever chose you. She should be mine."

Could he lose? Was he going to die here? And, what would happen to him when he died? Would he just be in pain, forever, or would it all just end?

And then, the humming that came and went in his thoughts grew loud. Aleph started to push Daleth back, causing some gasps in the audience. The hum filled him, and then….

A bright burst of light came from the hum and shot out of Aleph's eyes. Daleth got blasted back several feet from the force of it. As the hum died off, he heard a voice speaking in the tones of his mental music. 'You have been mastered the power of miracles, Messiah. Now, end the life of the Anti-Messiah before you to complete your ascension.'

"Wh-what the hell?" Daleth muttered, trying to pick himself up. But he quickly collapsed, breathing hard.

"Daleth!" Ignoring the Coliseum rules, Beth went over and healed him.

"It looks like the challenger Daleth has fallen and become disqualified," the announcer said, the less boisterous one. "That means that with that victory with a stunning display of divine power, that Aleph is the true Messiah."

Amid the cheers, Daleth got himself back on his knees. "No, no way," he said, though he sounded exhausted. "It can't be. I worked my whole life for this, even before I knew the purpose of it all."

"Daleth," Aleph said, going over to him.

When he first looked up, there was a look of bewilderment and fear in him. But, that rage still burned, overcoming that. "You..."

Beth came over to him. "No, Aleph! I know what the match is, but please don't kill him."

It was scary when one came close to death, and he still didn't know what happened at death. "Okay," Aleph said, putting away his sword.

"Oh, thank goodness," she said, smiling in relief. She even had tears in her eyes. But then she decided to heal him up too, lessening the pain from Daleth's strike.

"Dammit, no, this is not how it's supposed to go!" Daleth said, suddenly back on his feet again and about to thrust right through Aleph's body with his sword. Aleph froze up, not having his sword at hand to block him.

"No!" Beth cried, and then got in front of Aleph. Daleth's sword cut through her instead with a sickening sound.

"Beth!" Aleph grabbed her in alarm. What about that power of miracles? He closed his eyes and tried to summon back the humming, get it to fill him. He even hummed himself. But, it didn't come back. His mind was oddly empty of sounds, just a heartbeat that didn't match his.

"We're friends," Beth said weakly. The scent of blood was strong. "We shouldn't… be fighting… each other…" then she collapsed, falling into Aleph's arms.

"Beth," Aleph said, crying now. He was supposed to save people. He should be able to save her. What was even happening? He'd done what he'd been told to do… well, except for killing Daleth just now. There were things that he wasn't to do at all, namely killing other humans. He should be able to call back that miracle to save her, not to kill Daleth. But when he hummed again, his head felt like it was being crushed.

"Oh my god," Daleth said, his voice shaken. "I, I won't forget this!" He then ran out of the arena, easily throwing aside a guard who tried to stop him.

Then, someone unexpected spoke up: the bishop. "Let go of her," the bishop said. "We'll take care of her."

"O-okay," Aleph said, not sure what else to do. Other temple knights teleported out of the arena with her. Maybe they could save her and that's why the miracle didn't happen. It had to be that.

With the next words he spoke, the bishop's voice was broadcast all over the arena. "And with that, we have undeniable proof that Aleph is our Messiah! The world will be saved and a thousand years of peace will soon reign over the Earth! Hail our Messiah!"

The audience was quick to join in the chant, their voices sweeping all around him. But, Aleph couldn't stop crying, or worrying. And his head hurt so much, like there had been a fight in there too. When the bishop took his hand, he just nodded and followed along silently.

* * *

"He didn't follow orders."

"But he was the more popular one to win, and Daleth has gotten harder to control."

"If Aleph doesn't follow orders, our plans will be made more difficult."

"It was the girl; she talked him into not killing Daleth before the match even began. She was made to be softhearted."

"Her mental programming was breaking down already after the last reset, even with the forged photographs. She should have sided only with Aleph no matter what."

"She's deceased now, so she won't be a liability."

"Then we won't revive her?"

"No. He wasn't connecting to her as we had planned. There's no reason to keep her around."

"Fair enough. But how do we get Aleph to comply more readily?"

"Gimmel said that a mind reset on him may worsen his disabilities. That would not help."

"We could repair him directly. If not us, then the Lord will."

"Of course. Aleph must do the Lord's will."

"Let's have Gimmel take a second look anyhow. It seems we need to soothe Aleph anyhow after the match. He's not in a state to be serving as the Messiah."

"That should do. By the will of the Lord."

"By the will of the Lord."

"By the will of the Lord, let it be done."

* * *

It was odd to not have Beth come see him shortly after he'd woken up. Aleph went to check her apartment, but she wasn't there. Maybe she was dead? And so, not coming back? But what now? She'd always been around to help him. And why did Daleth challenge him like that? Aleph couldn't think of anything he'd done to make Daleth mad.

So many questions he couldn't even ask, much less answer. Thinking of things he'd done with Beth reminded him of the severed head he'd gotten from King Frost. The head was looking for the sun. Since Millennium was covered up, Aleph could only think of one way to help: the scenery windows. He found the settings for the sunny beach and brought the head out to show it the picture. "Sun," Aleph said, setting the head on a nearby table.

"That's an illusion," the head mumbled.

"Mmm." So it wasn't real, just a picture. "Pretty." That was still true. But, the beach picture reminded him of seeing Beth change it. "Mmm..."

Although the head was still unmoving, the spirit he was hearing stirred. His music grew stronger. "You've… lost a dear friend recently."

"Yes," Aleph said, feeling sad about it. He glanced around, but it was just him and the head here. "Back?"

"No, she won't be coming back into the world," he said. "Her injury was too severe to survive."

"Mmm..." he closed his eyes, crying some. She wasn't coming back… who would help him now? And why wasn't she coming back? How did she feel now? Was she lonely and hurting too?

"This is a grief that nearly everyone is bound to experience," the head said. "The living must keep on living regardless, striving to uphold virtue and honor. When one dies as a good person, they pass on to a more blissful existence, without pain or fear. My awareness comes and goes ever since you picked up my head, but I've seen her, your friend Beth. She won't be suffering now; she will wait for you, so live well and you will see her again."

That was a relief, even though being apart from her was sad. "Good. Thank you."

"You were named Aleph, correct?" the head asked.

"Yes," he answered, looking down at the head. Could he see the world outside of the terminal he'd been in?

It wasn't moving at all, but he still heard it. "I am Masakado, a god of this land. And no, you're not hearing from my head; my spirit has been drifting around ever since my body got torn up by angels. My head is easiest to keep track of, and so I found you."

He was torn up by angels? That wasn't nice. But then, what had his head been doing with King Frost? "Frost?"

Fortunately, he got what was being asked. "I'm not sure what my head was doing with him. It's difficult for me to pay attention to the world like this. But, what I believe happened is that the angels hid my head in the Holytown church, then one of the jack frosts happened to pick me up before he became King Frost."

That made sense, giving how he'd acquired the head. Aleph nodded, but many other questions kept popping up in his mind. And Masakado was having an easier time understanding him than most people. Since he had helped Aleph by telling him that good people were okay after death, Aleph wanted to help him back. And there were two things he could think of for that. "Find?"

"Thank you, I should be able to sense other parts of my body if I follow you and we come near them. As for the sun, she..." Masakado's voice stopped abruptly.

One of the doors to this area slid open at that moment; Zayin came in. "Here you are..." he paused on seeing what was on the table in front of the scenery window. "What's that severed head doing here?"

"Friend," Aleph explained.

For a moment, Zayin stared at him. Aleph looked back, not sure what the problem was. Finally, his other friend said, "You really shouldn't have that kind of thing around."

He frowned at that. "Good… friend." He turned back to the head.

"He won't be able to hear me," the head said. "We can speak more later; I feel myself drifting off again."

"Okay," Aleph said, then stored the head back in his terminal.

"You should give it over to the lab, figure out who it was," Zayin said, relaxing once the head was away. "How are you doing?"

"Bad," he said. "Mom. Beth."

"You're upset about both of them now," Zayin said. Aleph nodded. "I don't blame you. But, Beth saved your life. She believed in you to the very end, willing to give up her life so that you could fulfill your destiny as a Messiah."

He sighed, not sure what to do now and not sure how to use one word to express all he was feeling. It was easier when he'd been a gladiator. Then, he had Okamoto to help him all along the way, and a goal to work for. But being a Messiah? He didn't know what kind of goal that entailed. Something about saving people.

"I know you loved her very much," Zayin said.

"No," Aleph said.

For a moment, Zayin stared at him again in disbelief. "You didn't love her?"

"Mmm," he said, making a fist and tapping the wall with it. "Love? Friend. Beth. Gone. Maybe?"

"I see, you're mostly confused by all this," he said, accepting that explanation.

"Maybe," Aleph said.

Zayin tapped him. "For now, would you come with me to visit Arcadia? Gimmel's been wanting to show his work to you and it is the most peaceful place in Millennium. It should do you some good."

"Bishop?" he asked. Usually he got missions from the bishop.

"He's up at a meeting with the elders right now," he said. "If they have a task for us, they'll contact us through our terminals. Want to come with me to Arcadia?"

"Okay," Aleph said, not sure what else to do with himself.

There were two small quakes in the time that it took them to get out of the center and over to Arcadia's terminal. That was troubling. But, the unusual terminal to Arcadia was comforting to Aleph. It was a tube that closed in around him for the transport instead of a metal plate surrounding a computer. He felt like he could go right to sleep in one of these.

Seconds after entering, they could leave and walk into Arcadia. The colors of everything quickly caught Aleph's eyes. It was much like the scenery window in the tower outside the control room, so bright and colorful. Actually, there was something very like that scenery window with everything around him, like he'd gone into the window's images somehow. It was beautiful, but, something felt off. A pulse or something, something to the music in his mind that should be here.

"It really is amazing what he's done," Zayin said.

Aleph got off the entrance platform and crouched down to touch a blade of grass. There was something to the feel of it that wasn't right, not like the tough grasses that grew in cracks of Valhalla's streets. While it was softer and more pleasant, there was something faintly electric. Something off. "Mmm," he replied, not sure what to say.

"Come on, he's off in the woods," Zayin said, waiting on him.

Nodding, Aleph got up and followed his friend into the trees. There were notes here that he wasn't sure how to identify, drawing his eyes into the woods. Could one walk out there? It looked like there was ground, but there also seemed to be a kind of line there, like the edge of a sidewalk. But he was supposed to be following Zayin, who was staying on the path between trees. Aleph followed.

At the end of the path, Gimmel welcomed them into his beautiful white house. "I'm so glad to have you both here," Gimmel said with a warm smile. "Are you doing okay, Aleph? Losing Beth like that was unexpected."

"No," Aleph said.

"He is upset, but I thought I'd bring him over anyhow," Zayin said. "It was tragic; shouldn't have happened that way."

"I know!" Gimmel said. "I was talking with her just the other day, and didn't think it'd be the last I saw of her. Well, come on in, we can talk about her and remember her."

When they said they could talk about Beth, it was mostly Zayin and Gimmel talking about memories that Aleph didn't share with them. They were memories that didn't make sense because they shouldn't be possible. It didn't help Aleph any. There were no ideas on what to do now, just reflections on things that didn't happen. Then, what?

"Would you like to hear me on the grand harp?" Gimmel asked during a lull.

"Sure, I've been curious about it," Zayin said.

Aleph shrugged, as it didn't really interest him. But it did get both of them to go to another part of the room where they weren't paying attention to him. Aleph decided that he'd rather leave. He didn't know where he was going to, just knowing that he didn't want to be here.

Back outside, he got curious about the path again. This time, he carefully moved his foot to cross over the line. Only, it didn't work. An invisible wall stopped him short. So, there really wasn't ground out there after all. This was like the scenery window, just populated with people. And, there wasn't a panel to change things.

He decided to bring out the head again to check. "Sun?" he asked, showing Masakado the rays falling between the leaves.

"No," the head replied, more groggy this time. "Just another illusion, another dream."

"Okay," he said, then sent the head back. He could rest until he was able to talk more.

"Hey, you're the new Messiah, right?" a woman asked, coming along the path. "It's nice to meet you, but we have our own Savior in Gimmel. He makes everything so wonderful in here."

"Yes," he said, not doubting that Gimmel could create this, whatever this really was.

"I love Gimmel so much," she said, dreamy-eyed. "All of us do! Arcadia is wonderful and I can't wait to share a world like this with everyone. You're the one who's supposed to make it all possible, so hurry up and do what you're meant to do."

"What?" he asked, since he didn't know what he should be doing now.

"I don't know, whatever your job as a Messiah entails," she said. "You want the whole world to be like this, right? Forever peaceful and pure."

"No," Aleph said. There was something wrong to this place, he just didn't know what it was.

For some reason, she ignored that. "Arcadia is what the thousand year kingdom will be, and I'll happily be here forever if we find out the secret to eternal life and youth. It's our wonderful dream that everyone should partake in." And she wandered on down the path, humming to herself.

He should do what a Messiah was meant to do. But, what was that? He headed out of the tree-lined path, trying to think of it. But, all he could think about was how odd it was that Beth wasn't with him. It was lonely. And that made him remember the loneliness he always had for his Mom. A psychic should be able to find her. So, where was a psychic?

Not in Arcadia, it turned out. So Aleph left the district, coming back out of the tube into the Center district. He didn't recall seeing a psychic in the Center. There was supposedly one in Valhalla. Maybe Holytown? He'd not seen Holytown since the battle with King Frost, so he headed that way. It should be back to normal.

And it was. In fact, Holytown seemed busy, full of people walking around and running businesses. What happened to all the bodies? As Aleph walked down the street, he could recall seeing them. The frozen forms of people who'd collapsed and died of cold, the twisted faces of those who died of poison, the one corpse that had been half hanging out a broken window. But, even that one window was as good as new now. The people were happy and alive; did any of them miss those who had died here?

Before he could find the psychic, something about the music in his mind changed as his eyes fell on one particular building: a bar. It felt significant, like this music was one he should remember. Aleph went inside, trying to follow the music. There were a number of people inside, taking up all the tables although a few stools at the bar itself were open. What, or who, was he trying to find?

The music led him to actual music being played: over at the corner of the bar, there was a man playing a guitar and singing for the other patrons. That person was familiar… he had well-kept blond hair and a blue suit. His guitar was fairly normal, just with a decal of a black starburst to make it recognizable. He played very well too, as good as Gimmel to Aleph's opinion. Trying not to disrupt anyone, he made his way over to the bar and went near the musician.

The people in the bar certainly agreed, clapping when the man finished playing. But the musician's attention when right to Aleph once he came out of his song. "Ah, you're the recent Tournament Champion Aleph, aren't you?"

"Yes," he said, going closer since he seemed willing to talk.

"And now being called a Messiah, very interesting," he said. "My name is Louis Cypher. I've heard it said that you don't speak much, but would you care to come have a drink with me? I've been curious about you." He gestured to the empty stool beside him.

"Okay," Aleph said, taking the seat. Although, he'd never actually been in a bar. Okamoto kept telling him that while they were good places for getting information, it'd be tough for Aleph to blend in there.

"I'll pay for one drink for each of us," Louis said, then waved the bartender over.

The bartender listened, but stopped Louis from asking about a second drink for Aleph. "Hang on, I got an alert about this guy when he walked in. He's under restriction to not partake in any alcoholic or mind-alerting substance, and we'd all get in trouble for breaking that. I could get him a root beer, though."

"That should work, you fine with that?" Louis asked, glancing at him.

"Yes," Aleph said. If the bartender said it wouldn't break restriction, it'd be fine.

"Actually, I feel quite lucky to have encountered you like this," he said as the bartender went off to get their drinks. "I've been drifting around Millennium for a while now, listening to what others say and looking into what's going on. But the checkpoint security is tough. When I tell them I go from place to place as a musician to make money, they won't give any allowance for that. I've managed to go back and forth between Holytown here and Valhalla, but not into the Center where you live."

Aleph shrugged at that. The security and checkpoints usually let him by because he was on missions from the bishop. And since he could use the terminals, he didn't need to get by checkpoints as long as he had the terminals recorded.

"Here's your drinks, enjoy," the bartender said, setting them in front of them.

"Thank you," Louis said, taking his glass and swishing it gently to sniff it for some reason. "Valhalla has better beer, but I like the wine here. Not sure what they're making it out of, but passably good." He took a sip of it.

Aleph's root beer came in a glass bottle that had a metal cap on it. He'd dealt with these before, usually with sodas. He flicked the bottle cap off, then caught it before it hit the bar and scattered to somewhere else. While he'd not had this drink before, it was nice and sweet.

"That's a pretty good trick," Louis said, impressed at it.

"Mmm," it was how he'd always opened these, after how he found that stepping on a lost bottle cap with bare feet hurt. Everyone here had shoes, but it was still polite not to leave a mess.

"Although I have trouble getting around, I end up hearing a lot of things hanging out in bars like this and chatting with people," he said, setting the glass down. "Like, you were there when the portal that the scientist Hanada made was opened. I also heard that he made a fatal error in his ceremony and used a black dancing doll instead of a blue sleeping doll. The sleeping doll is meant to calm the demon being called, important when the angry doll is used to disturb space in a place where the connection to the Abyss is strong. Using the dancing doll excites the demon target." He shrugged. "And when demons get excited, a lot of them become bloodthirsty. This can be seen during waxing of energy from the Abyss Moon, which has effects even here in the human world."

He knew about that? While he was talking, Aleph opened up his terminal and called up the dancing doll he'd taken from the altar trying to stop the portal from being open. "Bad?"

Louis looked over it with interest. "Oh yes, so it was true. That was a very bad error on his part. The doll itself isn't bad and could be used for other ceremonies if one knows the purpose behind the doll usage. Actually, I hear that someone who has a sleeping doll has been trying to access the Abyss from here in Holytown, in the abandoned cathedral. But if they don't have the other dolls, it won't be any good."

That was odd. Aleph sent the doll away, then wondered if Louis might have heard something. There should be… yes, he'd gotten the pictures from Beth. He showed the women's group photo to Louis. "Look? Mom." No, he needed the name. "Hiroko."

"Oh, are you looking for that woman?" he asked.

"Yes, please?" Aleph asked.

"Hmm." He tapped his fingers on his cheek, thinking. "Hiroko…. I remember hearing of a temple knight by that name, but she seemed to disappear off the face of the earth around seven months ago. It's unfortunate: she was said to be one of the most promising young talents they had. A lot of people who disappear turn up in the Factory district, according to popular rumor. But, she disappeared with some top scientists, Hanada and Mekata, so she may be with them. Hanada is dead now, but I've heard that Mekata has been seen around Valhalla, at one of the churches there. If you search around carefully, you might be able to track him down."

"Okay," he said, glad to hear to this. Mekata should help. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble," Louis said. He talked for a while longer, about music and various things around Millennium. But Aleph wanted to go look into where Mekata was, so he found a reason to say goodbye and head out with the rest of his root beer.

There were several churches throughout Valhalla. It would take a while to search through all of them. But, this could finally lead him to his mother.


	8. The Most Important Person

While Gimmel's playing was beautiful as always, something seemed missing. Aleph was quiet, but he usually wasn't silent. Zayin glanced around the room, finding no trace of him. "Aleph's gone," Zayin said.

"Hmm?" Gimmel paused. "I thought he was listening too. I picked these songs to soothe the heart."

"I don't know when he left," he said, concerned now. He was meant to protect the Messiah. Now that one had been confirmed, he'd almost immediately gone missing. "Can you search Arcadia from here?"

"I'm afraid not," he said, getting up from his seat at the grand harp. "But I can send a message to the residents to look for him. In a moment..." he took out a phone and sent off the message.

"I'm going to check this place," Zayin said, heading into Gimmel's other rooms. They were all nicely decorated to the tastes of the Arcadians. And due to their loose airy designs, there weren't many places for someone to hide.

Aleph wasn't in the house. When they got outside, others in Arcadia were already helping them search. By the time they searched the little opening Gimmel's house was in and got through the path to the main portion, the rest of the district had already been covered. Gimmel had to check through several messages to know, "Nobody found him, but there's a woman who'll meet us at the terminal building who says she spoke with him not that long ago."

"All right." They headed over, finding her waiting at the building. "Where did you see Aleph?" Zayin asked.

"He was on the path to Lord Gimmel's home, heading this way," she said. "I was on my daily walk, and I got the message as I was going back along the path. I haven't seen him since, though it was maybe five minutes ago that I saw him."

"He may have left the district," Gimmel said, still looking through his phone messages. "Someone exited recently, a guest. Well, he can't be too far since the terminal here doesn't act as a normal one."

Shaking his head, Zayin said, "He was considered an extraordinary runner among the gladiators, remember? He won the rabbit race challenge; he could get to another terminal, and then be anywhere after that."

"The terminals would record such usage, so I can look into that from here," Gimmel said. "It'll take a couple of minutes, but..."

With this failure of duty, he didn't want to wait around. "I'll go and see if I can spot him in the outer walkway of the Center," Zayin said. "Keep in contact with me."

Gimmel caught his arm first. "But first, I have a good idea of where he might go on his own. He might try to locate a psychic to find someone."

"Who's he looking for?" Zayin asked.

The answer was surprising, but made such sense that when they couldn't locate where Aleph had gone, he agreed to go check the place where that person was.

* * *

Aleph entered the slums district again. He'd been fortunate to run across a psychic's shop on the way here. When asked, she had some trouble locating Hiroko, but agreed that locating Mekata would lead to finding Hiroko. And, the psychic found Mekata here, at Hanada's makeshift lab. She'd said that he needed to hurry to catch the scientist there, but he'd run across that bridge many times. There wasn't anyone in the slum district now, only a few weak demons that hadn't been able to cross the water.

On entering the basement, Aleph found Mekata with a drawn gun. But, he put it away immediately. "Aleph?"

"Mekata," he said, going over and smiling. "Okay?"

"I'm fine, physically anyway," he said, putting the gun away. "Not so much in other ways, but how about you? I've watched your progress with the Tournament and the Center missions; you're doing exceedingly well, even beyond our projections."

"Mmm," Aleph said, all that was bothering him sweeping through his mind. "Okay? No. Bad..." he shrugged on trying to find a way to explain things. "Beth."

"Yes, that was awful," Mekata said, sounding unsettled. "She was meant to be your partner, or Daleth's depending on how things turned out. Well, did you love her?"

"Maybe," he said, putting his hands together. "Friend? Yes."

"It's complicated, huh?" he guessed.

He nodded. "Death… bad..." he rubbed his forehead. "Um..."

Mekata came over and put his hand against Aleph's head. "Does it hurt when you try to speak more than a few words at a time?"

He nodded. "Hard."

Strangely, it seemed to hurt him too from the look in his eyes. "I wish I could have done more for you, not left you like this. I would have rather seen you grow up naturally."

"Okay," he said, trying not to hurt him more. "Mom?"

It didn't work quite as he hoped. "Ah, you're looking for Hiroko. I would like to see her again too. We should have brought her with us when we escaped the Center. I wanted to, I really did, but she'd gotten called off to do something. Once we set off our distraction, we had to get out in the confusion. From my searches, I found that she was taken to the Factory district and turned into one of the workers there."

"Okay," he said. He could get there easily since he had the terminal location.

"Wait a moment," Mekata said. "I'm sure you're in a hurry to find her, but it's not going to be simple. The Factory workers are brainwashed so that working is all they think of. So if you find her, she might not want to leave. And, it will be hard to convince her that you are her son because of what we did to you. If you can get her back to me, I'll explain everything to her."

Aleph nodded. It was what he intended to do, since he would be unfit to explain himself.

"May I?" Mekata asked, touching Alpeh's terminal. When he nodded, the scientist explained, "I'm doing this because you may not remember the address of the lab I'm still using. I'll put it into your map. And, the Center will know that you're looking for her. They'll try to keep her from you. They've already put her in a labor camp that can't be reached from the Factory entrance. To reach her, you'll need to enter the underground of Millennium. Most people aren't allowed there, but you should have the skills to break into the labor camp that way. You can enter, here, in the passage from here to the Center."

"Okay," he said, looking at the map. It was out of the way, but wouldn't be hard to find.

"I'll stay around the lab today so you know where to find me," he said, letting go of the terminal as he was done. "If you have trouble getting her to come back with you, return to me and we'll discuss what might be done. However, we may need to move to the underground to get out of the Center's reach. It all depends on how they react to this. Be careful, Aleph; I don't want something bad to happen to you, or anything worse to Hiroko."

"Okay," he said with a nod. He waved, then headed off to reach the underground.

When he arrived at the passage to the Center, there were two armed knights as usual. "There you are, Aleph," one of them said, sounding relieved. "An alert that you were missing just went out on our security network. Please, go on and hurry back to the Center. They're worried about you."

"Thank you," he said, going by them. The Center was worried… but it didn't matter as much as reaching Mom. He found that the passage to the underground was locked with one of the electronic keypads. While those seemed to stop others and require memorization, it barely slowed him down.

The underground was dark, lit by electric street lights and covered up by a massive metal plate. Strangely, there were buildings down here. Most were ruins, but a few like the one he stepped out of reached up into the plate. Some areas looked like they could be interesting to check out, but there were signs along a well-walked road pointing out the underground Factory entrance. Aleph hurried that way and bypassed another electronic keypad.

On the elevator ride up, he looked at a map that claimed to be of the building he was entering. There were lots of small rooms and short hallways; it'd be confusing to get through. However, the stairs up were straight from the elevator. That led to what was labeled 'residences'. There was one problem that appeared when he stepped out of the elevator: a set of black iron bars in the middle of the hallway. Frowning at it, Aleph gripped the bars and pushed them. It was securely locked.

No. He had to get to Mom. Had to, above all else… and, there was the hum again, quieter this time. If he could just pull on it… the bars quivered… and make that hum louder, draw on the energy he'd been given… he'd done things like this before, made miracles happen...

The bars snapped out of the wall with a loud bang. He tensed at the sound of it. But, he wasn't going to panic this time. The bars were heavy, so Aleph set them against the wall and headed onward.

Before he could move on, a demon phased through the wall and blocked his passage. "Just who is…?" it started to demand, then looked back past Aleph with one set of eyes. This demon was an old man with horns on the side facing him. But attached to its back, there was an adult woman who twisted about to see what was going on too.

"Go," Aleph demanded back, drawing his sword.

"I don't see how you did that as a mere human, but I will not tolerate destruction of property!" the old man scolded while the woman turned aside with an angry frown. "I can see who you are, the so-called Messiah Aleph. Well then, it seems I will have to capture you for punishment at the hands of the elders."

"No," he said, then attacked. He no longer had the strength that snapped the bars off the wall, but he had enough strength to cut down this demon as he should. Once it was down, it dropped a staff that bore electrical powers. Aleph decided to take it with him, as it seemed useful.

There were many people behind bars here, in single room spaces that had a toilet in one corner and a bed in the other. They seemed strangely happy with this, singing and asking questions of when they'd get out to work again. And now that he was up here, a different music reached his ears, real music. It was a very sad music, one that reminded him of loneliness and loss. Why did it make these people happy?

But, his mother wasn't here. He found a nameplate that had her name on it, but the cell was open and empty. Had she escaped? Or, was she working? Aleph kept searching, eventually finding that the people housed here had a work schedule in various places. And, Hiroko was currently working in a clothing factory.

He headed out of the housing cells and went to find the clothing factory. A group of people were coming in from another factory, none being his mother. While he tried to figure out how to ask where she was, they had already moved on back into the housing building. Aleph hurried ahead, spotting a sign pointing to various places. And… the clothing factory was a bit far, but it was here.

Inside, he saw a wide open space full of large sewing machines. Many people were busily at work, with children running supplies back and forth. Aleph got the attention of one of the kids coming in to a thread shelf. "Hiroko?"

"E12," the child replied, grabbing a spool of back thread, then running off with it.

E12… this was row H… and three rows to the left at the twelfth machine down, there she was. Hiroko had her wavy blond hair held back with a white headband. She wore an orange jumpsuit like everyone else around here. Still, he knew her face. He knew it was her. "Mom!" He ran over, smiling.

"Hmm? I don't need anything right now," she said, putting aside a finished jacket so she could start another.

"Mom. Aleph." He pointed to himself. "Come."

"No, I've got to fill these orders," she said, waving him off.

He felt a horrible feeling inside; had she forgotten him? Mekata said she might not recognize him. But, he knew her; she should know him. This was not right. "Mom! Please, come."

"Not now, the shift is far from over," she said, still not looking at him.

"Mmm." His eyes were tearing up, so he turned away. What now? He wanted to get away with her, get her to Mekata. But, he had to get her to stop working. That would make her pay attention to him. So, just how…?

The music in his mind turned electrical. Aleph closed his eyes and listened. All these machines needed electricity to run. They hummed with power. So, what if the power got turned off? And, that power came from…

He ended up at a cable in the corner of the hall, hooked up to power lines outside. Signs all around indicated that it was dangerous; the kids running errands didn't go near the red tape on the floor. For a moment, Aleph wasn't sure what to do. He shouldn't cross the line either. But then how…? Maybe the staff? He called out the staff he'd gotten from double-body demon and threw it at the cable with a small hum.

While the resulting bang startled him, it worked. The whole sewing factory went dark and silent. All around him, workers cried out in anguish and surprise. It had been a shocking amount of noise, but this should work. Aleph hurried back over to where Mom was. "Mom. Come."

"What's going on?" she asked, still looking at the sewing machine. "I was having fun."

"Come," he pleaded, tugging at her sleeves.

She threw him off and finally looked at him. "Hey, what are you doing? I don't want to go anywhere; I want to stay here."

"Mom?" But, wouldn't she want to come with me?

"Did you turn off the power?" someone asked accusingly. Things were getting dangerous, he could feel it. But he wanted to get her out.

She struck his arm to get him to let go. "Get out of here!"

"Mom..." he nearly choked on a sob. What was wrong with her? What should he do? He just wanted to be with her.

Then, someone gripped him firmly on the shoulder, someone who wouldn't easily be thrown off. "Let's get out of here, Aleph," Zayin said.

"No!" he said, stomping a foot down. Zayin then grabbed him and carried him out. "No! Mom!" He burst into tears as he was taken outside.

* * *

Aleph had hit him a few times, but he must not want to hurt him. Zayin had a good idea of what he could do if he really wanted to hurt someone. After being put down outside, Aleph grabbed Zayin and kept sobbing. This was not proper behavior for a Messiah, but there wasn't anyone else around to witness this. The clothing factory got its power back after a couple of minutes and was soon back to working full tilt.

Seeing him like this troubled Zayin. Even in the dark factory, he had spotted Aleph easily. He'd been trying to get Hiroko's attention, believing her to be his mother somehow. There was no way she could be; Zayin knew that she'd had a son who'd gotten lost, around seven months ago. And, seven months ago was when they lost Aleph. This woman had gotten in trouble for that, believed to be part of the conspiracy to kidnap him.

But putting aside the idea that it didn't make sense, when Zayin looked at this knowing that Aleph believed Hiroko to be his mother… she'd yelled at him and hit him away for stopping the factory from running. That was strange enough, but it had to be devastating to Aleph. In the time since his return, Beth had reported that he was obsessed with finding his mother again. No wonder he was crying so hard now. In fact, it made him seem an awful lot like a child.

That was impossible, yet it made Zayin be softer with him as Aleph started to wear down from crying so much. "You shouldn't have disappeared from us without saying anything, but I can see how important this is to you."

"Yes," he said, still leaning on Zayin as they sat near the factory wall.

"I never thought of it before, but there is something strange going on here," Zayin said. He recalled Hiroko, so, "She should have at least recognized you. We'll get back to the Center and I'll see what help we can get for her, so she'll talk to you."

"Thank you," Aleph said, calming down now that he had help. "Mekata."

Zayin raised an eyebrow. "Him? Do you know where he is?"

"Yes," he said, so they headed back the way Aleph had come to get here.

It turned out that he had used the passage through the underworld, despite there being four password-required doors in the way. But then, those never seemed to slow him down. Where did he learn the passwords? Aleph had also torn out a set of iron bars that had been welded into the wall. When asked about that, he just hummed and tapped his head. He shouldn't have the physical strength to do that; Zayin was pretty sure that he himself didn't have the strength for that. Maybe it was one of his miracles now that he was the Messiah. In that case, it was important that they get this woman out of the labor camp.

They ended up in Valhalla, going to a nondescript apartment building in the second-class citizen area. There, a lab like the biotechnology lab back in the Center was set up. That was a familiar place to Zayin as the doctor who checked up on him regularly worked there. Mekata was here, doing some work at a computer that somehow involved an occult set up of a bowl of sandy water and candles.

"Zayin?" Mekata asked, wary at the sight of him. "What are you doing here."

"Okay," Aleph said, trying to reassure him.

"I'm working with Aleph for the moment," he said. "Gimmel sent me to intercept him and return him to the Center, but I hadn't realized what the conditions at the Factory were really like. That, and Aleph was upset and I wanted to help him."

"Oh, then I guess Hiroko didn't want to leave," Mekata said, disappointed.

"Yes," Aleph said, still grieved over that. Then, he tapped his head. "Mmm song."

The scientist put a hand to his chin. "That's very astute of you to notice, Aleph. Yes, there's a song that gets continually broadcast over the speakers there. That is the song of a siren that the Center captured in the Abyss and imprisoned up at the top of a tower in the Factory. The workers are conditioned to want to work whenever they hear the siren's song. A siren can already influence the thoughts and feelings of people with their voice, so it's a secure means of getting the Factory workers to be happy with their long hours and inhumane living conditions."

"Is that true?" Zayin asked, not wanting to believe it. But he couldn't forget how Hiroko had just struck Aleph when he was doing nothing particularly untoward or aggressive with her.

"I have downloaded copies of the documents involved if you want to see them for yourself here," Mekata said, searching for those documents on his computer. "Now, I found something in those documents, some transcripts of the siren speaking with her captors, that suggest that she was taken from someone important to her. That person should still be in the Abyss and is likely the cause of the siren's distress. You may have trouble getting the siren to stop unless you can get into the Abyss to retrieve her beloved."

"Okay," Aleph said without hesitation.

"Are you sure about that?" Zayin asked, in some disbelief at where this was going. "The Abyss is the domain of the demons, where they come from and where they return when they're killed here. They say the strongest of demons still lurk there."

"Go," Aleph said. He wasn't going to be swayed from this.

"I'm not sure how one would get into the Abyss, but the records show that the siren was brought into our world at the Great Church in Holytown," Mekata said.

"Yes," Aleph said.

"You have an idea of how to get to the Abyss from Holytown already?" Mekata asked, surprised.

"Yes," he said.

"While that helps, I wish you could tell us how you know," Mekata said. "Anyhow, once you've found the siren's beloved, you'll need to bring them up to the top of the tower. Since that tower runs all activity in the Factory district, there are a lot of security measures in place, including illusions that are meant to confuse the way to intruders. Now, you both had to have passed through the habitation building. What did you see in there?"

"A lot of bleak cells with bare holes for toilets," Zayin said, which Aleph nodded to.

"In that case, the illusions in the control tower shouldn't influence you," Mekata said. "The demon who controls the illusions is also at the top of the tower, keeping the siren guarded. I can't give you much advice on defeating them, so I'll have to trust you both to that. Also, Zayin, there's much that I would love to talk with you about, but right now, the important matter is that Hiroko is Aleph's mother, and my daughter. That's why we both will go so far to get her out of the Factory's brainwashing, even if it puts the Center against us."

"Yes," Aleph said, solemn and serious with that.

"But how is that possible?" Zayin asked. "She's not much older than he is; things don't work that way."

Mekata shook his head. "Normally, but we have growth vats that can accelerate the development of artificial humans so that they are born as adults, with implanted memories, knowledge, and skills. That is what you are; you're both about seven months old now in reality."

"I am?" he asked. But, that meant everything from before that seven months was a lie.

"Yes, you were created to be a bodyguard to the Messiah, whichever one it turned out to be," he said. "I'll send you files on that too. It really didn't matter which of the two won the battle yesterday; they would have been declared the Messiah and the loser declared the anti-messiah. Of course, the anti was supposed to die yesterday; the Center does not have full control over you five. You, Gimmel, and Beth were all designed to support the Messiah. And while Daleth was developed like you three, Aleph was created differently, naturally born and then put under growth acceleration."

"So our very lives are lies," Zayin said, feeling unnerved. Now that he thought of it, a lot of his older memories were hazy or didn't actually make sense.

"I'm afraid so," Mekata said. "And anyone who claims to have similar memories to you is likely to be a humanoid instead of a human as well. However, the growth process was meant for blank slates like yourself. Aleph's mind and body had already started developing naturally, so things didn't go as we hoped. That's why he's handicapped, not because of drugs or anything."

"This is all too much, are you really telling the truth?" Zayin asked, not wanting to believe it. But there had been some inconsistencies, like photos in his terminal and some discussions he'd had with others. He also recalled wanting to question a prisoner about such an inconsistency only to learn that he'd been sent to the Factory district to be reformed. But, that reformation included brainwashing?

"Yes," Aleph said, then scratched his head. "Mmm… time?"

"I think he wants to give you some time to look through the files and start sorting things out," Mekata guessed.

"Yes," Aleph said, sympathizing with him.

"Thanks, I could use that," he said. He spoke with Mekata a bit more, then read through the files he had.

And it was all real. He knew the filing system that the Center used; these were all authentic documents as proven by the numbering and icons. Even the electronic security marks, those were proper when they were supposed to be impossible to forge. The papers showed what they were saying was true: about the siren, about the Factory workers, about himself and Aleph.

What were the elders thinking? It was important to have a Messiah to bring about the thousand-year kingdom that everyone desired for eternal peace, but to go this far? It had only been about sixty years since Kazuya had rose to be acknowledged as one, and maybe thirty years since his unexpected death. Messiahs were supposed to be a rare thing with many generations between them. And then to set up this charade using human lives, even those of them who were created rather than born… it was sickening. What else were they doing? They should have the technology to revive Beth as she was, so why were they letting her remain deceased? Especially when it affected Aleph as their chosen Messiah?

There was clearly more to research here, things that should be done. But for now, it was important to get Aleph reunited with his mother. Whatever side Aleph decided to go with, it was clear that he wasn't going to do anything else until he got back with his mother. So even if it meant going clear to the Abyss and undoing a vital part of how Millennium worked, Zayin decided that he was going to help Aleph through this.

* * *

Why had he failed as a Messiah?

Daleth had worked for that every day of his life. He knew he was meant for something great. The priests who had raised him had always said that he was meant for something great, some service to God. And so, he had worked hard to achieve the strength and skill to meet up to what God expected, what He needed. He even spent years alone in the wilderness to prove his devotion, with demons and scarcity of necessities like food and clean water to work against him. Looking at that, it was clear that he should qualify as a Messiah.

And what had Aleph done? He'd slacked in his training when they were young; Daleth could never remember them working together, only himself working alone to fulfill the priest's vision. He'd dallied with ordinary things that wouldn't be useful to a Messiah. And then, he went and caused an explosion to escape with some scientists, making everyone think he was kidnapped. He even got messed up on drugs and entered the world of blood sports as a gladiator. That was far more than what should disqualify him as a Messiah. God couldn't accept someone with such a stained past.

And yet, somehow he had been accepted. God had granted Aleph the power of miracles, not Daleth. That much was clear from the strange blast of holy power that won the fight that Daleth had been winning up to that point. And Beth, the one destined to be at the side of the Messiah always, she seemed to decide early on that she wanted to be with Aleph too. Why did everyone choose him? He was clearly unfit.

But that wasn't clear to the world at large and now they called Daleth the anti-messiah. They scorned him; they wouldn't talk to him. Mothers even steered their children away from him as he walked down the street. Well, fine. If they wanted to be that way, then he would be the anti-messiah. At this point, he didn't care anymore about prophecy or destiny, or any of that which seemed like weak excuses now. He was going to do whatever it took to defeat Aleph and prove his worthlessness to everyone. Why did the world need a Messiah when the one called was so horrible?

Daleth was even planning on doing something devious: he planned on opening the true passage to the Abyss. He just needed seven pillars that were demonic artifacts to do so. The place was now prepared, and…

He spotted Aleph and Zayin, also passing through Holytown. Were they searching for him? He couldn't be caught at this point; he needed to track down several pillars here in Holytown. Daleth slipped into an alleyway in order to evade them.

Now, he had a good idea of where the Moon Pillar was; that would take some waiting to get. He already had Mars, and Mercury was supposed to be somewhere in Holytown as well. Then it was to the Factory for Jupiter, and the rest should be somewhere in the underground…


	9. Silencing the Siren

The Great Church was functional even though it was unfinished. Hallways were blocked off with old signs saying they were under construction. However, the main sanctuary was complete, with a grand stained glass window depicting a giant cross with angels all around, beautiful patterned tiles on the floor, and long paintings on the walls. Well, the paintings were still being worked on, but everything else looked like an even grander vision of the other churches.

While they searched around, Zayin talked about it. "This place was supposed to be a jewel of Millennium, a community-wide effort to build a magnificent work of art for a place of worship that everyone could access, instead of the best church being in the limited access area of the Center."

"Pretty," Aleph said, gesturing back to the sanctuary.

"It is quite beautiful even in this unfinished state," Zayin agreed. "It was a vision that we…" no, that wasn't real, "I remember being excited about, and many in the Center must have been excited for. However, the community efforts fell through almost as soon as that sanctuary got built. They started having sermons and classes here every day, so that one could walk in at any time and find the teachings of God. But that drove a great many of people that should have attended away. They didn't want to attend endless sermons and preaching, they said. Instead, they were drawn to the more earthly and sinful delights over in Valhalla, like their casino, disco, the Coliseum, and the much more lax rules about social morals."

"Mmm." He hadn't thought about things in that light, mostly because he hadn't been aware of that. He liked training to be a gladiator. He even liked the big matches, although he didn't really like the death matches where people scorned him for not killing people. But, that was ingrained deep in his thoughts.

"Millennium was meant to be devoted to God," Zayin said. "But, it seems even the elders have strayed from that vision. We should do things on God's time, to God's wisdom. What should be a sacred thing, the calling of a Messiah to bring light and hope to the world, has been turned into some dramatic show where they don't care about those who are lost to it. It really grates on me that I was so duped by it all."

"Mmm," Aleph tugged at him. How to say this… "One," he said, tapping his face near his eyes.

"What?" Zayin asked, trying to figure it out too.

"Mmm..." he glanced around, then pointed out the hall they were in. "One." There was only one way to go, no doors to other rooms or halls here. Then he covered his eyes. Something had to get the idea across.

"They did limit what we could know and realize," Zayin said.

"Yes," Aleph said.

"So you're saying it's not my fault if they only let me see one way before me?"

He nodded, smiling. "Yes."

Zayin smiled back. "I see. Thanks, Aleph. Maybe you do have some unusual gift in being named a Messiah, no matter how it came about."

As it was a large building, it took a while before they found the room they were searching for. It was in the basement, with a set-up similar to what Hanada had in his lab. Near the altar, there was a man looking over the display. "Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked, angry until he turned and saw them both in temple knight attire. Then he grew pale with fear. "Ah, um, well..."

"Calm down, we're not here to arrest you," Zayin said, taking charge of the speaking. "Are you trying to open a way to the Abyss?"

"Um, yeah," he said, rubbing his head. "But I don't have all the pieces for it. I still thought I could do something, but no, nothing much happens."

"What are you trying to open a passage to the Abyss for?" he asked.

"Well, it's about the Factory," he said. "See, my whole family got rounded up and sent there; I slipped through because I was off with some friends in Valhalla at the time. I've seen them and they're totally different from how they were, but nobody believes me. They even took all of our family savings and supposedly donated it to the church, when it was taken because they were brainwashed into giving it away."

Zayin closed his eyes, some anger welling up in him. Learning the truth had made Beth upset and confused, but it affected Zayin differently. "I see. Then are you trying to do something about the siren too?"

"Yeah, supposedly she's got somebody there that we might be able to distract her away with," the man said. "Oh wait, you two are after that too? But you're Temple Knights! You're supposed to be really loyal to the Center."

"Things change when the truth becomes apparent, that stories like yours aren't made up," Zayin said. "We're trying to rescue someone from the Factory labor camps too. But then," he pointed to the guy's arm; he had an average strength from the looks of it, "are you sure you can handle going into the Abyss? And then climbing the tower that has angels and demons keeping people from reaching the top?"

"Um, well I was going to sneak around to get things done," he said, looking down.

"Aleph and I have the ability to fight demons on equal terms," Zayin said, to which Aleph agreed with a nod. "If you want to help, we can hide you in the residential center so that you can release all those barred inside when we stop the siren from singing. The rest, you'd best leave to us."

Now the young man was looking at Aleph in awe. "Oh really, the Messiah's doing this too? O-okay then, I know how the portal ceremony is supposed to go, and I've managed to acquire a sleeping doll. But, I don't have the three others I need."

"Look," Aleph said, having called out the angry doll.

"Oh, you have one?" he said, accepting the angry doll.

"Four," he said, calling out the other three.

"Great, we can do this now," he said, relived and excited. "We don't need the dancing doll, that will make things go wrong. But the other three are exactly what I needed. It should work just fine now." He set the dolls in place, then had them stand aside to state the enchantments into place. The opening of this portal was softer, less noisy. "There. While demons can come and go through this, it won't be as easy for them as the failed portal that was in the slums of Valhalla. They'll be much calmer. Since you two are helping, I can even hold the portal shut, so to speak, until you return with the siren's lover. Then we'll close it off when you return. There won't be trouble that way."

"Good, thanks for thinking of the safety of others in this," Zayin said. "We'll try not to be in there long. Do you have any idea who we're looking for?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, but no. From my looks into the area with the sleeping doll, you'll be dropped into a town of the Abyss. If you can get the right demons to talk with you there, they could help you out. Just don't try to get information from Dark or Chaotic demons and it should be fine."

"Clearly," Zayin said. "Let's go, Aleph."

"Yes," he said, and went into the portal. There was nothing to fear. He had Zayin with him and they'd be fine even in the Abyss.

He thought the underground underneath Millennium was dark, but that was lit up by streetlights. This place was dark, with some crystals glowing here and there. On the ground, there were flowers growing around that seemed to be made of silver and gold. The streets were made of tarnished bricks and the buildings were strangely shaped. But it was all beautiful in a dark way. The portal they'd used came from an obelisk in the middle of the street.

Zayin soon followed him through and looked around curiously. "This isn't what I expected the Abyss to look like," he said quietly.

"Pretty," Aleph said. "Find."

"Yes, we need to find information about siren's beloved," Zayin said. "We'll have to see how welcoming people are; try and find a business or a bar."

It didn't take them long to locate a bar, on the street that the obelisk was on. The town seemed bustling and lively; snatches of conversation could be heard down the streets and laughter sometimes cut through. It didn't sound dangerous at all. Even in the bar, things were much like the one Aleph had visited in Holytown. It was just that the customers and the staff were all demons: skeletons, elves, even a chimera lounging on a couch against the wall to chat with a tiger demon. At one table, a few oni and trolls were playing a game with cards and chips, something that looked familiar from the casino that Okamoto was often in.

The bartender waved to them. "Oh hey, we don't get visitors from Malkuth often. I hope you're not here for trouble."

"No," Aleph said.

"Right, we're actually trying to get a siren back home here," Zayin said to him, getting the attention of all those at the bar. If it got to be a fight, it could be trouble. But, Aleph trusted the conversation to Zayin. "It would help people out in our world and yours, so we came this way looking for someone important to her."

"Oh yes, we'd love to have Siren back," the bartender said. "She used to sing with her lover Peterson in my bar, but he won't come in without her. It really feels like a big part of my establishment is missing without them, you know? But I don't know where Peterson is since she disappeared."

"He's been off in the woods to the south, where Abbadon usually slumbers," a skeleton at the counter said. "What I want to know is where Abbadon's slugged off to. It's weird because he's usually there all the time, and now the big lug isn't."

A puma demon of some kind by the skeleton nodded. "That is weird, but yeah, that ghost will be off in the woods. Head south from the obelisk and you can't miss it."

"Thank you," Zayin said. "We'll try to get Siren back here quickly." When they got out of the bar, he tugged at Aleph's sleeve. "That was strange, don't you think?"

"No?" Aleph said. They wanted Siren back, so of course they'd help out.

Zayin sighed softly, then headed to the south as instructed. "I'd been thinking lately that you have a strange innocence; I know why now. And still…" he shook his head. "We're temple knights, Aleph. Demons should know that we hunt them. Yet, not one of them was alarmed that we were suddenly here. I was expecting to have to fight for the information. It's like someone told them to help us. But who could have known we were coming? I wouldn't think Mekata would have that kind of sway with them."

Aleph shrugged. It didn't seem important as long as they got the people in the Factory freed.

"With a mind as pure as freshly fallen snow," he said, not making sense. "But what do they really intend you to do in such an important position when you're like that?"

Following the directions, they got to a wooded area where the black trees had dark blue and violet leaves instead of green. There were demons here too, some of which were aggressive and attacked them. But with Zayin at his side, there was nothing too tough. There was a music here that was barely on the edge of being audible. Aleph heard it stronger in his head, a sad song much like what siren had been singing over the speakers.

They tracked Peterson down by that music; he was playing a guitar and sitting at the edge of a cliff off into the deeper darkness. His form was transparent like mist, easily seen in the darkness of the Abyss. "Peterson?" Aleph called.

"Hmm?" The ghost stopped playing and drifted away from the edge to turn around. His gaze went immediately to Aleph. "Huh? You, the light of your soul… it's strange, and beautiful."

"Excuse us, but are you Peterson?" Zayin asked. "We're looking to help a siren that's trapped up in our world."

"In Malkuth?" He came closer. "Yes, I'm Peterson. So that's where she ended up. I just know, people dressed like you came one day and stole her away. I gave up my body to live here in the Abyss with her, so there wasn't anything I could do."

"We need to rescue a number of people who are entranced by her sad songs," Zayin said. "But we're not sure if she'll listen to us even if we defeat her guard. We came to get you to bring to her, if you can exist in our world."

"I really want to help, especially if it brings Siren back," Peterson said. "Normally, I don't think I'd be able to last long in Malkuth. But, his soul has such power that as long as he wants my existence there, I should be able to follow you to her. Thank you; I can't do much for you, but I will be able to speak to her."

"Good," Aleph said. He wanted Peterson to follow them to help the people in the Factory, so it shouldn't be a problem. "Go."

"Yes, let's go," Zayin said.

The climb up the tower was long, but not too confusing. Aleph could sense traces of the illusion magic around, a tone that matched the scenery window and Arcadia. However, none of them actually saw the illusion magic. It allowed them to easily find the stairs on each floor and not be blocked by the apparent maze of small rooms and halls full of guard demons. And through it all, the siren's song could be heard. Here, it tried to persuade them to turn back. Peterson played something on his guitar to counter that, letting them continue onward and upwards.

At the top, they found a demon that was using a toilet as a kind of throne to watch over the activity in the Factory. "Hmph, so you rats managed to make your way up here?" the demon Belphagor said.

"Stop," Aleph said.

"Yes, we're here to stop your enslavement of these people," Zayin said, clenching his fists and ready to fight.

"The Center's not going to be happy with you two if you do," Belphagor said. "Everything in Millennium is made here in the Factory. Everyone depends on the Factory functioning. If you stop the Factory, you'll cause Millennium to grind to a halt."

"Even so, it's not right to force these people to work so hard for so little," Zayin said.

"They're happy, so why break that for them?" the demon said. "Eh, but it looks like you're not going to be convinced with words. I'll just have to end your efforts here."

"No," Aleph said, then struck Belphagor quickly with his sword.

While Belphagor was distracted trying to fight them, Peterson left them and headed for Siren. Aleph wasn't worried about that; he had to focus on this battle with Balphagor. Zayin was able to give them magical defenses, then jumped in to fight with his fists. With two of Aleph's demons hanging back to heal them when necessary, it seemed like nothing to worry about. It only got easier when Siren stopped with her sad songs and sang an ear-splitting note, a powerful magic attack at Belphagor. It was enough to shatter his toilet into dust, making him panic. Belphagor didn't last much longer after that.

Siren was chained to the floor, but it was to an electronic lock that Aleph had open in seconds. "Thank you for rescuing me," Siren said, smiling joyfully as she tossed the chains aside. "And for bringing dear Peterson to me; I thought they had banished him for good. Is there anything we can do for you two?"

"No," Aleph said. This should free Mom, that was enough for him.

"All the people in the Factory should be free to do what they want without your song influencing them," Zayin said, explaining further. "That's enough for us. I'll escort you two back to the portal to the Abyss." He turned to Aleph then. "Aleph, go on and find your mother, and go back to Mekata with her. If you must, you can hide out in the underworld until things are safe for you to get around Millennium. But once I get these two back, I'm going to let the people of Millennium know what the Center's been up to. If you want to help bring them down, just get in contact with me."

"Okay," Aleph said.

Back on ground level, people were wandering around in confusion, not sure what to do. Aleph didn't know how to help them aside from defeating a few demons that tried to attack them. He made his way back over to the clothing factory. While some machines were still running, most had been stopped and left behind by people who weren't sure what they were doing there.

Including her. "Mom!" he called, smiling again. "Hiroko."

"Hmm?" She turned to him. "What's going on? There isn't really trouble."

"Hiroko," he said again, then tapped his chest. "Aleph."

She looked aside at that. "Aleph? Strange, that name seems so familiar, and dear somehow. But, I can't remember you. Sorry, everything's a haze right now. I'm not even sure why I'm here."

It wasn't as bad as before, but it still hurt. "Come," he said, tugging at her arm. "Mekata."

Thankfully, she nodded. "All right, since you seem to know me. You seem strange, Aleph, but… well never mind, let's go, if you know where we're going."

"Yes," he said, glad that she was going to be with him. He led her over to the entrance to the underworld.

* * *

She was… a temple knight of the Center. That was right, she fought demons to keep people safe and often guarded some laboratory. It was… her father's lab, where he worked with others on biotechnology. They did… it still wasn't clear, but she knew it was genetics or something. Hiroko had excelled more as a knight than as a scientist.

She was… a mother. She knew that, although all she could remember of her child was some moments during her pregnancy and when he'd been born. Although… the child had no father. He had been genetically designed to better withstand a dangerous world… and she was a mother to make sure that other women who wished for a safe pregnancy and birth could have better means to do so. Hiroko had been proud of that, and wonderfully delighted with the small miracle of science that she was to take care of. But where was he now?

About the Center… she felt angry. Something they'd done, orders she'd received. Someone… someone dear lost. Or changed to the point of being unrecognizable. She'd been willing to fight even the elders, as she recalled drawing her sword against those robed figures. And then… white and gold, and nothing but the haze of a siren's song. The hum of sewing machines.

And now, there was this strange young man leading her through the dark streets of the underground. He was dressed in the familiar armor of a temple knight, although something seemed off about his terminal. And the way he only spoke in single words, was he handicapped? However, she had to admit that he was extremely skilled in battle. Aleph handled a sword like a far older master; his gun skills were even better, as he casually sniped a flying demon out of the darkness before Hiroko was even aware it was there. Even with his poor speech, he managed to persuade an archangel from attacking them.

"I'm sorry, but you're meant to be the Messiah and there's talk that you won't take orders," the archangel said, still poised to keep attacking.

"The Messiah?" Hiroko asked, looking to Aleph. Something about that seemed significant, and yet infuriating. Not against him, but against someone. The Center elders?

Aleph nodded. "Kazuya. Help."

"You mean to help others like Kazuya did as the last Messiah?" the archangel said. When Aleph nodded, he did lower his sword. "I see. But still, he failed to locate and finish off Lucifer, which is causing the problems we face now. We can't have a new Messiah who will fail us again that gravely, much less one who refuses orders."

"Mmm..." he closed his eyes, seeming to have difficulty with this.

"Who commanded Kazuya?" Hiroko asked even though she didn't think one was supposed to step into a conversation between a summoner and a potential recruit. It felt bad to leave Aleph hanging like that.

"Well, that is actually unknown," the archangel admitted.

"As far as I understand, he put himself in charge of the Tokyo police force and only took orders from his own conscience," she said. "Do you do that, Aleph, listen to your conscience?"

"Yes," he said, then tapped his head. "Music."

That baffled Hiroko, but the archangel seemed impressed. "Ah, you hear the harmony of your surroundings?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

"God's will is said to be at one with the world, so you must be doing His will in your own way," the archangel said. "Far be it from me to hinder you from that then. But others will question you… Very well, I would like to accompany you are reassure my kin that you are doing your work as the Messiah. I am Tensei Archangel, at your service, Messiah."

"Thank you," Aleph said, accepting him as a follower.

The archangel made it much easier to get through the area, with his strong sword and magic skills, as well as the ability to discourage other Tensei angels from attacking them. But on getting to another elevator, a large quake struck. Aleph braced himself against the wall, looking fearful. "No."

After the quake passed, he still looked spooked. "That was unexpected, but we seem to be safe," Hiroko said.

"Bad," he said, then hurried into the elevator there. She followed, not sure what else to do for now.

The area they arrived in was a tunnel; signs said that it led from the Center to the Valhalla district. That caused images in Hiroko's mind, of a packed and exciting disco, of an arena where races and fighting duels were held, of all sorts of temptations one was supposed to resist as a temple knight even though they all looked fun. But, a temple knight was to be an image of selfless virtue as a guardian. The orders they got from the Center elders, though, weren't always nice.

At the end of the tunnel, they came across… nothing. There should be a huge crowded town here, with so much activity and excitement. Instead, there was nothing. A strange darkness covered the torn ground like water, but just looking at it gave her the chills. A pebble got kicked down by Aleph's foot; it sizzled into nothing touching the darkness.

"Bad," Aleph said, hunching his shoulders in and starting to cry. "Valhalla..."

"What is going on?" Hiroko said. Some ideas came to her. "Aleph? Let's go to Holytown and ask around. I have a feeling that the Center won't be of much use."

"Okay," he said. It took him a moment to get a hold of himself, but then he wanted to hurry through the passage to get to Holytown's entrance.

And Aleph could move fast when he was motivated. Hiroko considered herself to be in good shape, but she had to run at a few points to keep up with his walking speed. Maybe it was the time she spent in the Factory. Or, maybe he was just supremely talented. He was meant to be the Messiah, apparently. And, that was a good thing, right? If she wanted to protect people, then staying with the Messiah, even if he was strange, was a good choice.

Holytown was more familiar, bustling with people and noise. There weren't as many as would have been in Valhalla, not nearly as many. And, people seemed worried here. Had they already heard?

"Aleph!" A large man came through the crowd, also dressed as a temple knight. "And you have Hiroko with you, thank goodness. Did you see what happened?"

"Valhalla," Aleph said, nodding sadly.

"The whole district was just gone," Hiroko said. "And, I'm sorry, but my mind's still foggy from the Factory. I'm not sure what's going on."

"There's a lot going on, and I'm still learning all of it," he said. "My name is Zayin; I was a temple knight, but now I've quit on seeing the transgressions that the Center has committed. Like just now: I was able to intercept communications stating that they summoned the powerful demon Abaddon to swallow up all of Valhalla."

"They did?" Hiroko asked. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Thinking of the Center, well I don't know what they did to me, but it makes me very angry still."

He nodded. "I imagine so. Hiroko, I'll give you the documents Mekata gave to me; you really should see them. The important thing for you to know right away is that you had a child before you went to the Factory."

"Of course I remember that," she said. "I remember when he was born, and he was looking at me for the first time; it was wonderful, even though I was a surrogate for, something. But he was still my baby and I wanted to take care of him. And then..." whatever it was, that was what was making her angry.

"He was taken away by the biolab and aged up into an adult within a day," Zayin said.

"Huh? But that's just insane!" And why she was so angry.

He nodded again. "I agree. You see, Aleph here is your child."

"Aleph is?" She looked at the young man she'd been traveling with so far. She'd found him strange, but, her child?

He smiled fondly at her, like mention of that was enough to make him powerfully happy in spite of witnessing the disappearance of Valhalla. "Mom."

"It's a small miracle that he recognizes you like he does," Zayin said. "However, there are problems. The growth vat he was placed into wasn't meant to handle a normal infant. It was meant for artificially produced humans like myself. As a result, he's well beyond average in some capacities, but very underdeveloped in others. He can't form sentences, for one thing; it gives him a headache trying to make the simplest ones. So he should have someone with him to help him out."

"I, I don't know what to think of this, still trying to figure things out from the fog," Hiroko said, feeling like she had a headache herself.

"Mom?" Aleph was worried for her. It was eerie; she'd wanted to be called Mom, but it was surreal coming from her adult son who'd grown up in just one day.

"I've sent the documents to your terminal," Zayin said. "You two should hide out in the underground for now. I'm going to get into the broadcast center and tell everyone what's going on. But I won't speak about where you two are. Stay safe until you know what to do, all right?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

"Um, yes," Hiroko said, bewildered by all this. Then she was following Aleph again, to a terminal that could take them back into the underground. What should she be doing? Why was she in this crazy situation?


	10. The Prophet

Since they didn't have a goal other than to stay safe, Aleph led Hiroko on an exploration of the underground. It was very different from Millennium and not just in the light levels. Ruins were everywhere, alongside buildings that were new or kept in good repair. Of demons and humans, they found cruel ones, good ones, troubled ones, lost ones… they helped who they could. The humans and demons didn't seem very different from each other here.

One of the better kept buildings they found was a shrine; there wasn't a scratch in the various structures and the paint seemed recently done, still clean and bright. There was a song to it that sounded like another song. Hearing that, Aleph brought out his severed head friend. "Here?"

"This place..." the head murmured, waking up again.

Hiroko stared at him, much like Zayin had. "Err… Aleph? Why do you have a severed head in your inventory?"

"Friend," Aleph said, although that explanation didn't work with her either.

"The kami," the head said. "A kami… is cursed here. Please… free him. They… might lead the way… to the sun..."

"Okay," Aleph said, sending the head away. Mom still seemed uncomfortable, so he pointed to the shrine. "Go. Help."

"I guess there's some kind of ghost with the head?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, then pointed to the shrine. "Help."

That seemed to work, as she relaxed. "I see. It is strange, but it is good to help others. I guess even if it's a severed head you're helping."

Inside the shrine, they found a strange demon that had been turned to stone. Some demons were helpful; there had been one the other day who shared some tasty fruits with them for no reason other than generous hospitality. And the head said this one was a kami who could lead to the sun, so Aleph felt it was good to destone the kami and let him go free. The kami said that others of his kind were cursed in other shrines; it made a good goal to work towards, so he and his mother set out to free the kami.

Eventually, they came upon a town of mutants, humans who had been disfigured from the various catastrophes. There were even some people who said they were half-demons, born that way. While the people had been suspicious of them at first, taking care of some dangerous Dark demons around town had earned Aleph and Hiroko their trust. So when one of the half-demons came over to warn them that Templars from the Center were out looking for them, they knew they should stay within the town until the Templars moved on.

They went into the church in town. It wasn't Mesian like all of the churches in Millennium above. But, neither was it Gaean like most of the temples that acted as churches down here. It bore none of their symbols, but there were other visitors and someone Aleph recalled meeting before. The half-demon that had warned them went to tell the priest. "Yuji, the Templars are out; we need to keep our visitors safe."

"I see. Leave it to me then." He then turned to the people gathered. "We will have a small service if you do not mind. I will lead with a song, number 12 in the hymnals." Once they had the books opened, Yuji started off the song. Aleph could only hum along, but it was nice to make music with everyone. Afterward, the priest gave a small talk on the spot about the meaning and significance of that particular song.

While this was going on, the half-demon kept an eye out. He nudged them to drop down between the pews at one point. Some Templars walked by after they had; they looked into the room, but decided not to barge in while a service was going on. Aleph noted that Yuji even used a particular phrase at that point, something the bishop would say. That led the Templars to moving on and not rechecking the small church.

After the impromptu service, Aleph felt like something should be said. He went over to the priest and bowed. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble," the old priest said. "You've done good work for us." Then he smiled, some nostalgic look in his eyes. "The more I've thought about you, the more I think that you remind me of him. I have been to many places in service to the God I believe in, so I've met many people. Yet none have seemed as close as you to Kazuya, not even his own children."

"Kazuya?" Hiroko asked.

Aleph smiled. "Good." He put his hand on his chest. "Messiah."

Strangely, Yuji looked worried. "I heard that there was a fuss in Millennium about a new Messiah being named, even though it was strangely done through a battle. And very public too; the initial calling should be a private thing between the potential Messiah and the will of the universe, if not done before he even enters the world. The declaration that Kazuya was a Messiah was done through rumors after the fact, to explain what he'd done. He kept refusing such acknowledgment, wisely so because he never performed an actual miracle himself."

"How do you know about all that?" Hiroko asked.

"Ah, well I was a friend of his," he said, looking to her. "My name is Yuji. Back then, they called me a Messiah too, of the Mesian church. But my case was definitely manufactured by angels seeking to control humanity. I have since parted from the Mesians; they looked badly upon me for what I preach, so I ended up coming down here to find a more welcoming audience. I don't care if they wish to ignore me. But then, it frustrates me more that they're teaching a falsified version of what he did."

"What…?" Aleph bit his lip, trying to find a way. "Kazuya?"

"Aleph here has some difficulty speaking," Hiroko told Yuji. "But he does admire Kazuya."

"I know. We met at a statue of Kazuya under unusual circumstances." He gestured to a door in back of the chapel. "Why don't you come back to my residence for a little while? I don't mind telling you about what went on back then for us, and other things."

"Yes," Aleph said eagerly.

Yuji even had a picture of long ago, of himself, Kazuya, Yuka, and Takeshi. "I'm lucky to have this photo at all because it's the only one of all of us," he said. "The forces struggling for control over the world splintered us apart often, and Takeshi here, he changed greatly at one time and eventually died in the efforts to stop the demons and angels. Those beings, both sides, they wanted full authority over the remaining humans in Japan during the Great Flood. This photo nearly didn't happen because Kazuya was going through a lot at the time. Being central to this kind of conflict makes those near you a target and leads to many hardships. Even my time as a false Messiah was one of the toughest times I ever lived through."

"It's certainly been rough on Aleph, since we had to come hide down here." Hiroko said. "Although, he came down to hide for me, I think."

"Mom," he said, smiling at trying to let her know that he didn't mind. She was safe, and she was getting better from her time in the Factory.

"Have you accepted being the Messiah fully?" Yuji asked. "Or are you mostly protecting her?"

"Maybe," Aleph said, then shrugged.

"I think part of the problem is that we don't have a clear goal," Hiroko said.

"Lucifer," Aleph said, knowing that was a part of it. Although, he wasn't sure how to accomplish finding and defeating Lucifer.

"It would make sense for them to set you to destroying Lucifer," Yuji said, then put his hands together. "I'm very sorry about that. I knew that he was within the Cathedral during the flood. Even though I cast off the title of Messiah, I could still sense that he was there, a dark presence lurking while we were waiting on the waters to receded. But even with that sense, none of us could track him down. He escaped us and then has kept so quiet that I have no idea what his works in these days would be."

"I wonder if he got involved with what's going on in the Center," Hiroko said. "That's been so twisted and insane while presenting itself as holy and good for the people."

"No," Aleph said. It didn't sound right.

"Although, sometimes I wonder if you should really be doing work as the Messiah," she said, looking to him. "You, you really shouldn't be like this."

"What is going on with the Center these days?" Yuji asked.

"Well..." Hiroko said, looking unsure.

"Okay," Aleph said, putting his hand to his mouth to let her know it was okay to speak of it. Yuji was being honest with them, and he was a friend of Kazuya. He might be able to help them now.

"All right," she said. "This may be unbelievable, but all of this is the truth." She then told him about the Messiah project, how Mekata and Hanada had tried to get Aleph out of it, and how Aleph ended up back with the Center anyhow. "Zayin said he was going to inform the people and fight the Center, but I could hardly think after the Factory's brainwashing. Aleph has spent this time traveling through the underworld with me. Sometimes, we've been searching old shrines, even bringing odd spirits out of them. I don't know if he's looking for anything in particular or if he's just looking after me."

"That is very twisted, not in line with the God I believe in," Yuji said, having been thinking deeply all while listening. "They are controlling humanity and using extreme measures to be rid of undesirables. However, I think I have an idea of what's going on with that. And it is likely not to be Lucifer."

"Then the elders?" Hiroko asked. "The Messiah project was their idea."

He nodded. "When I was their Messiah, the angels asked me to call upon the God of the Mesia church. I disowned that God from my faith, but this feels like what I experienced of that God. He demands obedience but shows no love. He gave me difficult orders without reassuring my lack of confidence. This sounds very much like the work of that false God. But while he is false, he is still immensely powerful and influential, having the allegiance of the four seraphs."

"Fight?" Aleph asked.

"The false God?" Yuji said, surprised. "Well, I couldn't recommend that; it'd be as audacious as going directly after Lucifer. I was thinking more of doing something about his most powerful followers in this world, the elders of the Center. They could be replaced with more moderate leaders. Besides, you need to be certain of yourself and your ideals in taking on a task that monumental. And, well you aren't even a year old yet. It doesn't seem right to send you off to do that, even just stopping the elders."

"Mmm..." he wanted to. But at the same time… he looked at Hiroko. He wanted her to be safe and happy.

"Right, I keep thinking that myself," Hiroko said, then sighed and shook her head. "I mean, he should still be a baby that I'm taking care of. I was looking forward to it. But now, well I know he's strong and talented, and even intelligent. And he was given the power to create miracles. He should be capable, but I don't like this."

"Mom," Aleph put a hand on his chest. "Messiah. Yes."

"What about Hiroko?" Yuji asked. "What will you do for her?"

He looked over at her. "Come? Please?" He put a hand on her shoulder. "Safe, I… Mom. Safe."

"You think you can protect me if I come with you?" she said, clasping his hand. "I am a trained temple knight, so I can fight regular demons. But with much more powerful ones involved, I don't know. I'm more worried about you, if you really realize what you're getting in to."

"Why don't you two stay here for a little while and try to figure that out?" Yuji suggested, getting up from his seat. "I'll go check on what the Templars are doing in the meantime, and I have something I need to do for the elder of this town."

"Thank you, Yuji, I'll try to get him to talk this out," Hiroko said. Once the priest had left them alone, she gripped his hand in both of hers. "Oh, Aleph, I… I want to help you do what you believe in; I want that as your friend, and your mother. But, you were just born this year. I remember that clearly, so it's hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that you're able to do all this."

"Bad, mmm," he clasped her hand tight. "Aleph fight… demons..." he put his other hand on his chest. "Know. Yes. People. Safe. Yes. Song," he tapped his head. "Messiah. Yes. Kazuya."

She listened, trying to work it out. "You feel like you're meant to fight demons and protect people? Well, that's what you were made for. The Center meant to have you doing that under their control. But, you want to be like Kazuya and fight like you do because it's the right thing to do?"

"Yes. Please?" He looked her in the eyes, watching carefully.

She smiled a little. "But you're still looking to me for assurance; it really is a small miracle that you recognize me as your mother. I didn't get long to hold you as a baby before they took you away from me. I remember, my father was very upset about the whole thing, and we even planned out how to leave with one of the more eccentric scientists in the group. We didn't like Hanada that much, but he was willing to get us out. And then you went clear to the Abyss just to free me."

"Yes," he said, smiling back.

"If you're going to be the Messiah, you need to think about more than just me," Hiroko said. "You need to think of everyone. A hero like a messiah protects the people of the world, all of them, which is why the greater powers pay so much attention when one appears. If you're willing to take that to heart, then I'm fine with accompanying you and helping you succeed where you're weak. And, I do want to stay near you, even if you never had a childhood for me to experience with you. Can you take responsibility for everyone?"

Everyone… the people in Millennium in all five districts who'd called him Messiah but now might deny him, the people here in the underground who'd taken them in kindly… maybe even the people of the Abyss? They were demons, but they had been kind and helpful in the brief time that he and Zayin had been there. The demons of the town in the Abyss simply wanted Siren to come back home to them.

"Yes," Aleph said.

"That's really not something someone less than a year old should commit to," Hiroko said. "But, I can tell you're serious about it. Aleph… all right. We can go back to the Center and see about taking the Elders out of power. I don't know how we'll manage it; we should probably get in contact with Zayin once this area clears of Templars."

"Mom," he patted her. "Good. Smile?"

She did smile at that. "Aleph, you're a sweet boy. I wonder what it would have been like, watching you grow up as you should have."

After some more discussion, Yuji came back with one of the demons who lived here. "Excuse me, but I was discussing some of your situation with the town elder, Hiruku here," Yuji said. "He's a kami, an old god of the earth that once was believed in throughout Japan. This is Hiroko, and this is the young Messiah, Aleph."

"He is like you state him to be, Yuji," Hiruku said. "I hope you don't mind me asking for a favor of you, but you are fighting powerful forces of gods foreign to this land. If you can help me out, well, all of us out, you'll earn the favor of the gods of Japan, and we'll help you all that we can in protecting the people of Japan. Will you at least hear me out?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

Hiruku bowed to him. "Thank you. You see, one of our number, Lord Masakado as the guardian deity of Tokyo, the city that once stood here and is now in ruin underneath Millennium… he helped to train Kazuya for his part in saving humanity from the schemes of these same gods and demons that threaten us once again. As a result, things got messy. The God of the angels, the one they tried to get Yuji to call on during the Great Flood, tempted us kami of the earth with restoring us as the more powerful gods over the amatsu, the gods of the heavens that defeated us for the right to reign over Japan long ago. But, they allowed us to keep power even though we were lesser than them.

"That is better than what the Hebrew God and angels did to us. We tricked the amatsu into becoming sealed into a cave. For our reward, the angels cursed us in various ways, leaving us entrapped in the underground and unable to do anything. They even tore apart Lord Masakado so that Tokyo had no chance of rising again. But, we managed some resistance against them and now you've freed them all. Yes, I knew about you before you came here, as they told me about you.

"My fellow kami have managed to retrieve most of the parts of Masakado's body. What I ask you to do is to use your rights as a summoner to fuse Masakado's body back together. Once he is a whole being again, he can destroy the seal on the cave so we can rescue the amatsu. We will all be indebted to you then, and I'm sure they will willingly agree to assist you if you end up facing the angelic forces, or even the forces of Lord Lucifer as he too is trying to steal this land from our rightful ownership."

"Would you do this for them?" Yuji asked.

It didn't take much to decide on it. "Yes," Aleph said.

"Great, thank you," Hiruku said, giving another bow. "There's just one problem: we're missing his head, which is definitely something we can't do this without."

"That won't be a problem," Yuji said. "Aleph already has Masakado's head."

"Yes," Aleph said, calling out the head he'd gotten from King Frost. Despite being called out on a few occasions, he still had bits of frost on his skin. The music coming off him now was soft. "Sleep."

Hiruku widened his eyes in amazement. "Oh, yes, that is his head! Wonderful! Come, I'll show you where we've stored the rest of him.

With the terminal's item storage, Aleph was able safely transport the parts to the Heretic Mansion. Even as odd as this place was to begin with, this request was even odder than usual. Aleph got straight to the point, not able to do much more than that. "Masakado?" he asked.

"Wh-what about Lord Masakado?" the mansion's owner asked, startled.

"We've retrieved the parts of his body from the kami and would like to fuse him back together," Hiroko said. "Can you do that?"

He was bright with eagerness immediately. "Of course I can! Wow, this is a great honor to do something so significant! Okay, are you sure you have every piece of him? Set them within the circles, and make sure they stay inside the circles. I'll work it out from there."

"We're sure we have everything," Hiroko said, not particularly eager to check; the kami said they hadn't missed anything. Aleph called the parts back out, setting them up carefully so that they were placed as requested. They were papery and dry, needing to be handled with that care.

The mansion owner took more time with his work, making sure all the calculations were correct before calling the tubes down to fuse the body together. It went much like other fusions, dissolving the parts and bringing them together in their old form rather than a new one. But what they got… didn't seem quite right. There was a strong looking man there, but his skin was deep blue in color and his eyes were vacant. Even his hair was dry and scraggly, not as one would expect out of a deity.

"Magnificent," the mansion owner said, still excited. "Well, for the most part. His body came together just fine, I can tell you that there's no problem with that. But, I couldn't fuse his soul back into him like this, so he came back as an undead. But, not to worry! I'm sure his soul must still be around Tokyo somewhere. Lead his body back to it and one of the kami should be capable of reuniting them."

"I suppose we should go back and talk to Hiruku," Hiroko said, since he was the most certain one they could find.

"Yes," Aleph said, then waved Masakado's body over. "Come." It silently moved forward and followed after them back out.

Thankfully, Hiruku was in Yuji's church when they got back. "Oh, wonderful, you've got his body back together," the small god said, coming over immediately.

"Yes, but we didn't have his soul to complete him," Hiroko asked. "Do you now where that is?"

"Yes," Hiruku said, reaching up towards Aleph. A brilliant white soul appeared in the air, one that had golden flickers coming off it. "Once I saw his head, I knew his soul was traveling with you too. Masakado, please awaken to your true self."

When Hiruku let the soul go, it wobbled for a moment, then went directly into the body it belonged to. The glow surrounded his whole body as it returned to the colors and fullness of life. In less than a minute, a much more impressive man who could easily be recognized as a deity was there with them, wearing clothes of white and gold like his soul. He brought his hand up and flexed the fingers at first, perhaps seeing if it was all proper and in place.

"Welcome back, Lord Masakado," Hiruku said, happy enough that he had tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry about all of this. I didn't think it would go so badly."

"Never mind that now, we need to free the amatsu," Masakado said. "I feel stiff from the resurrection process, but I should have the power to break the seal still. Aleph, Hiroko, will you accompany us into the sealed cave?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

"Of course, can't leave a task unfinished," Hiroko said.

* * *

Within the unaffiliated church, there was a prayer room that only Yuji entered. Candles lit the bare room; not even a book was kept here. In the silence here, his visions spread across a great deal of time and space. He'd been waiting a long time for the true Messiah to appear. He'd even come down below Millennium when it was clear that the Mesia church was willing to silence any who were inconvenient to them. Anyone, even Kazuya when he used his renown and authority to question the proposed governance of Millennium. Supposedly, he and Yuka had died in an accidental building collapse. Yuji knew that they had been killed before the building fell, but few people believed him since he'd not witnessed that in person.

But this Messiah who'd appeared…

Masakado was able to break the seal on the cave where the amatsu were imprisoned. But within that cave, several more seals layered upon each other to keep the gods from leaving their small rope-bound areas. Even ordinary humans would be stopped by feelings of uneasiness and fear. Aleph paused at the entrance, sensing this. Then he began humming as he walked inside.

That was no ordinary hum. It filled his soul with light, divine power being drawn through him. Unseen by Hiroko, the hum caused the magic within the cave to vibrate. The seals melted before Aleph's power. It was draining him a great deal, which would leave him tired at the end of this. Having dealt with miracles before, Yuji knew that was unusual. Something was trying to restrain that power.

Gently following the line so as not to draw attention to himself, Yuji found an aloof cold presence that was familiar to him. That presence had tried to grant him miracles too, but withdrew that power when he turned away. That one had done the same for Aleph; he was the one ultimately responsible for his creation and public calling to become the Messiah. However, he was now greatly displeased by Aleph's choices. He was trying to withdraw his miracles. But Aleph was fighting to keep them unconsciously. He was succeeding today, unlike when…

Time shifted for Yuji and he saw Aleph in the Coliseum, a dying woman in his arms. The power of miracles had come unbidden moments before to defeat his rival. However, Aleph's creator had stopped that power completely to prevent the woman from being revived. She was a dear friend to Aleph, someone he relied on.

But not enough. Fragments of information revealed themselves to Yuji. The battle was part of a play, the people there unwitting actors. In the roles they were assigned, they were the hero, the hero's nemesis, and the hero's beloved. The beloved loved Aleph entirely, shallow but it was all Beth had to her existence. But Aleph… many parts of his mind had matured improperly. It might take years for his body to sort things out to a normal adult level. He loved as a child did and it would be some time before he could love as an adult did. If they'd been given a normal childhood for development, perhaps he could have properly fulfilled his role.

Aleph's creator was impatient and had not given that time. Thus, Beth was allowed to die not because she couldn't fulfill her role, but because Aleph couldn't fulfill his. And that wasn't even his fault. Now Aleph was clasping onto that power of miracles tightly, using it to do something that his creator was entirely against. A kind hero who was learning to accept demons and helping those who could not help themselves… a false god who was impatient, jealous, and vengeful.

"A mind as pure as freshly fallen snow," Yuji murmured, his visions slipping back to Aleph freeing the amatsu. "The lion shall lay down with the lamb and a child shall lead them. I thought those phrases beautifully poetic, describing someone who would be an inspiration to be good and loving. He is good and loving, and yet… it's horrifying to see it in truth. He is more skilled in battle than Kazuya ever was; his miracles come easier and can affect so much more than mine did. He can truly change the world. Yet, he is so new to the world."

His vision shifted to see through that mind. The world was wondrous, with beautiful things that other people seemed to look right by. As so much was still new, little was understood about how this connected to that, or why things were made in certain ways. The world could be frightening too, as demons could appear anywhere and things happened for reasons out of his grasp. Aleph wanted to know more. But people kept telling him to do things and he wasn't allowed to stay anywhere for long enough to figure things out. The mysteries of one place faded as a new place presented dozens more.

A few things stuck to his mind as important. Including the first thing he could remember well, of a time before he knew words and so no words could be applied to it. A feeling of safety and love, warm arms of a familiar scent and a face he would never forget. When the world was being frightening or too stressful to figure out, he sought to return to that. As long as he had his mother nearby, he felt like he could take on the world and figure it out.

"But your pursuit of your mother is what caused the false god to become displeased, that you'd ignore his authority to return to her. If you manage to keep the power you were granted, the angels and demons will end up fighting to gain your loyalty." He bowed his head. "God, can we save this forsaken child? Is it right to ask so much of him? They are counting on Aleph to make decisions he won't truly understand."

The visions that returned to him were nightmarish.

Yuji shivered. "God? What has gone so wrong with the world?"

* * *

The amatsu gods were drained of energy and power for being under the seals for many years. Even so, when the sun goddess Amaterasu came out with Aleph and Hiroko, her light cut through the darkness of the underground. Hiruku bowed on seeing her. "Lady Amaterasu… I apologize for what I have done to us all. It was foolish of me to not realize it was all a trap to get us all out of power."

She smiled at him kindly even though she looked tired. "It's okay, Hiruku; all of us should have been more careful. And you did all you could to get us freed like this."

Another of the amatsu, Fututoma, came to her side. "We should retreat for now and rest, make plans for how we can take back our home."

"Right," Amaterasu said with a nod. "But first, you two heroes mean to confront Lucifer and the god who trapped us? I wish we could help you more directly; maybe if you have trouble and we have the time to recover. For now, though, all I can do is grant you this key." She made a white stone column appear in her hands. About a foot tall, it had a golden sun symbol on the center and ends of it. "This is the Sun Pillar; it is needed to gain entrance to the Abyss where Lucifer dwells. If you can make the journey across the Abyss, you will surely be strong enough to succeed in all your goals."

"Thank you," Aleph said, accepting the pillar. But who would know how to open that entrance? It'd take someone really smart, so maybe Gimmel or Zayin?

"How would we use the pillar to get to the Abyss?" Hiroko asked.

"You should head to the town where the Yousei dwell when you're ready," Hiruku told them. "A human man has been working towards opening a portal near there. If you show him that pillar, he should cooperate with you to complete it."

"It's the only Sun Pillar within the world right now," Amaterasu said, some sadness to her. It was enough to make the light she gave off seem clouded. "I'd kept it to prevent an easy passage between this world and the Abyss, as it would have done irreparable damage to this world I love. But, others have found ways around it and the world is in ruins anyhow."

"Don't worry," Masakado said. "As long as good humans are around, the world can still be saved and restored. I'm sure of that."

"Of course, but I would like to do more to help," she said.

"Okay," Aleph said, smiling and trying to reassure her. He even patted her shoulder.

She smiled back. "Thank you, Aleph. Perhaps you can give us a good start."

"I'd like to be certain of that," Masakado said, then brought out a large sheathed sword to offer. "And to that end, I would like you to use my katana, Aleph, for the sake of humanity. Your swordsmanship is masterful and you should have a weapon to match it. I last offered my sword to Kazuya so that he could be a living guardian of Tokyo. The city has been crushed under Millennium, but it still survives. And with this in your possession, I accept you as the current living guardian of Tokyo."

He could use the sword that Kazuya had used? Aleph smiled, feeling greatly honored and excited for that. He'd have to protect everyone with it as a guardian and a Messiah, just as Mom had said. "Good. Thank you."

"We'll be going then," Fututoma said, shifting the mirror he held. "From what I see, Aleph and Hiroko, you should return to the prophet Yuji soon."

"The prophet?" Hiroko asked in surprise. "He spoke with us and introduced us to Hiruku, but he said nothing like that."

Hiruku nodded. "He is a true prophet, one who has been denied by many who could be ruined by the truths he has seen. Back during the Great Flood, he was promised that he would confirm the true Messiah one day. He's been in deep prayer for many days recently; he told me it was in preparation for that."

"He did accept our story without hesitation," Hiroko said, looking at Aleph. She was worrying again. "That may be why he told us to discuss it and be sure of what we wanted."

"Yes," Aleph said, sure of it himself.

After saying goodbye to the amatsu, he and Hiroko headed back into town to speak with Yuji. One of the residents said that he'd gone into his prayer room and could be in there for hours at a time. But he was in the chapel when the came by, sitting in one of the pews and reading. Something had changed about the tune around him; it was slower and somber.

"Welcome back," Yuji said, smiling at them even though it didn't look right with the shift. "Would you like to rest in the guest room here? It's not much, but you seem tired Aleph."

"Yes," he said. There had been an odd sound to the cave that he had to counter with his hum. The power hadn't wanted to start, but Aleph made it happen. "Thank you."

"Hiruku said you were a prophet and that we should come talk to you," Hiroko said.

Yuji nodded. "Yes, I've actually been waiting for you both, the potential messiah and his mother. There is a lot riding on your shoulders that will need to be decided soon. As such, I wanted to make sure you had thought about and discussed it. I'm glad you came to see me; I was told that I was to consecrate the new Messiah."

"Okay," Aleph said, not sure what it meant but he trusted Yuji.

"So you can see what's coming?" Hiroko asked. "Is there anything you can advise us of? We've decided to confront the elders."

"They are more than they appear, but you should be aware of that already," Yuji said. "Beyond that, it is difficult to say. Aleph will help to decide the path of the future, but his decisions are difficult to read. What I can see may be clear to you too: several powers are keeping watch over you and are doing everything they can to convince you to support them. I will advise you how I can, but parts of my advice may be for paths you won't take."

"Okay" Aleph said. He wasn't sure what decisions were ahead, so any advice would help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the question of which path I was using for this story, this chapter has the answer: all of them. I used Neutral for Beta-Testing because I portrayed Kazuya as a young adult rather than a teenager; it meant that his personal philosophies would be more or less set and it would take more to sway his opinions. If I'd wanted to do an all-endings story for Kazuya as well, I would have reversed the age situation I had, with him as a teenager and Yuji and Takeshi both older than him. Aleph's situation is such that he'll be more strongly swayed by who he meets even if he's interpreted as having adult capabilities and maturity at the start. He just doesn't have the experiences to have certainty.


	11. Meeting the Elders

When they got back up to Holytown, there were crowds of frightened people in the streets. No demons in sight, though. Hiroko went over to a nearby group that was sitting around getting drunk. "What's going on?" she asked.

"How could you not hear of it?" a woman with the group asked. "They were broadcasting it at full volume over every channel they could get. The Center has locked every district and they're going to shut off the air supply to all of Holytown."

"It might not happen," the other woman said. "They said they'd do it if Zayin didn't go back to the Center immediately; they were accusing him of treason for spreading word of what they've really been doing. They actually staged several crises all to promote their Messiah, like they sent King Frost and Basilisk here, and Betelgeuse in the Factory. They might even have had a hand in the crazy demon portal in the slums of Valhalla."

"No," Aleph said to the last, but he seemed concerned about these accusations. Hiroko was too. Many people had died due to King Frost, Basilisk, and Betelgeuse; was that all just to make him look good?

"Well they had Abbadon swallow up all of Valhalla," the first woman said in disgust. "I don't doubt that they will cut off our air even though Zayin went to them."

"But he said he'd fight them, so he'll save us," the other said, still holding out faith for Zayin.

"He's been gone for a while though, and they might get us on conspiracy in hiding a traitor."

Aleph tugged at Hiroko's sleeve. "Go."

"Right, we need to hurry over," she said. They left the group to their drinking and took the terminal over to the Factory instead, as the Center's own terminal was cut off from them. While there were still some people working there, it wasn't many happy people at work like before.

The Center's walkway was teeming with demons, and not just the angelic tenshi. It was going to be tough just getting to the tower from here. As Hiroko prepared herself for it all, Aleph suddenly grabbed her and pulled her close. He was humming a strange tone.

"What is it?" she asked, then saw the inward focus to his eyes. Moments later, bursts of scattered light shot all around the area. The demons were eradicated with angry screams and curses. When the light faded, there were a few scattered items and makka that they'd dropped, but no other signs of the demons. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," he said, then hurried her along to the Center.

It had been a long time since Hiroko had been in this place, and the memories she had of it weren't too clear. But the white and blue halls seemed familiar. Inside, there were a few residents prepared to fight. "Oh wait, you're humans," one of them said. "Thank goodness, but how did you get past all the demons outside?"

"Mmm," Aleph said, looking down.

"We're temple knights, that's how," Hiroko said. "We're here looking for Zayin and the elders."

"Ah, you're the Messiah, Aleph," one of the others said, surprised.

"In that case, you should go up and talk with the elders about where you've been," a priest with the group said. "They're up on the hundred and twenty-first floor as usual; do you remember the password to get up there?"

Aleph shrugged and headed for the elevator. "We'll be fine, thank you," Hiroko said, then followed him.

The one hundred and twenty-first floor was quiet; the elevator opened up to a small security room with an electronic keypad which Aleph got by as he usually did. Past that, they found a startling sight: Zayin had been turned to stone. Hiroko might have mistook it for just a statue of him, but the grimace on his face did not look like anything an artist would use. Next to him, there was someone in a fully covering blue robe. "You came, Messiah," she said, turning away from the statue to them.

"Aren't you one of the elders?" Hiroko said, feeling old anger start to bubble up. "We have a lot of issues with how you've been handling things."

"I imagine so," she said calmly. "We have strayed from what we were called to do as leaders of Millennium. I've realized that there were many painful mistakes we made that were cruel to many others while hardly touching us, like all that has happened to you both. I suppose this is karma for losing our way." She turned back to Zayin. "But the others do not agree with me; they are still deluded by the distance we have kept from the people, and unwittingly from God. I am attempting to undo this curse on Zayin, who was rightfully angry with us. As such, I won't stop you from continuing onward to the other elders. They should be stopped or else more innocent people will perish to those schemes."

"Yes," Aleph said, and moved on.

"I hope you can free him," Hiroko said quickly to the elder, then hurried to catch up to Aleph. "You're really taking this personally."

"Yes," he said, more subdued but he was still focused on this.

"I am too, but I hope we can talk this out," she said.

Somehow, he knew where he was going. Perhaps he'd been up here before; he brought her to a circular room that was lined with pillars. The other three elders were here, discussing something amongst themselves. "Stop," Aleph demanded as they got in the room.

"So the failed Messiah has come too," one of them said as they got up from being seated on the floor. "You caused disappointment when you were born, but we still held faith that you would gain the soul of a true Messiah and lead the world to a new era of peace. But you have learned nothing but violence, destroying those in your way. Have you come seeking our destruction as well?"

"Stop," Aleph said, but he took a step closer to her. Something was making him wary now.

The one dressed in red shook his head. "We were sent into this dying world to save it from itself, and we intend on doing just that. You were meant to be key to this, but instead you ran off with this woman and ignored your duties, your orders. And from that sword at your side, it seems you have even chosen to walk with the pagan gods of this land. That cannot be allowed. Aleph, Hiroko, do you know who you have chosen to stand against?"

"Yes," Aleph said, looking past his caution and putting a hand on the handle of Masakado's katana, ready to fight.

"You're hurting the people of Millennium as well as those of the underground," Hiroko said, still hoping to solve this some peaceful way. She also suspected, from Aleph's attitude, that she didn't understand the entirety of this situation. "This isn't what you were meant to do; the other elder said so."

"She has become deluded, as have you," the red one said. Then a flash of radiant light filled the room, making her wince. Three angelic forms appeared in the light to replace the hooded elders; an oppressive feeling of power tried to cower them. "We are saving the people, and if we must destroy you both to do so, we will do so without hesitation. Accept your fate, those who have forsaken God's true way!"

Even before the light faded, Aleph was humming again, his stance very still. Hiroko moved to attack one of the angels coming down fast on Aleph with a double-bladed sword. No, these weren't ordinary angels like the archangel he had recruited. Their unique guises, their armor and gilded weapons, and that oppressive dominating power: these were seraphs, some of the strongest warriors under God's command. Hiroko nearly buckled under the power behind the flaming sword that Uriel wielded; he merely spun it and caught her partly in the back swing before darting off to find another place to make a diving attack from.

Then that burst of light appeared from Aleph, cutting through the seraphs as efficiently as it had the demons. However, these three weren't about to be mowed down as easily. Aleph then darted ahead and attacked the nearest to him, Raphael, by drawing the katana out through him. White flames flashed through the air in following the blade. Barely a second later, Michael tried to strike Aleph away. Hiroko drew her gun as quick as she could and fired at Michael to stop him. She then had to fire at Uriel as Aleph kept pressing Raphael back. Around them, Aleph's demons took this all as a sign to do what they wanted. Even the archangel had no hesitation in joining them against the seraphs, blessing their group with more power to keep this battle going.

A shot towards Uriel showed that he was not going to get damaged by ordinary weapons, unlike the other two. Hiroko switched over to using her best attack magic against him. While Michael was clearly strong, Uriel was darting all over, getting in more attacks than the other two. And since Aleph seemed focused on taking down Raphael first, Hiroko backed over near a pillar for some cover and tried to weaken Uriel. Did these seraphs have the ability to heal themselves? Or, was that the specialty of the one who'd parted from them? Or even Raphael since he could barely fight back against Aleph's assault.

When Aleph got his first target killed, he then moved on to Michael as the red-winged angel was near the floor and Uriel was keeping near the ceiling of this large domed room. Although Hiroko and the demons were focused on keeping Uriel busy, Michael was the next one to fall. Aleph then decided to use items to restore everyone's energy so they could finish the last of the seraphs off.

When Uriel dissipated into faint smoke, silence fell over the room. Aleph immediately looked around, then went over to her when he spotted her. "Okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Hiroko said, relaxing and coming away from her pillar cover. "Did we really just…?"

Then a voice that boomed right into her bones tore into the room, seeming like it could crush them simply with words. "Ye sinful ones, how dare you defeat my servants! Thou art maggots of filth, living off bloodshed and hypocrisy! Artificial Messiah, wretched man, I will cast thee and thy followers straight into the bowels of hell myself!"

As it spoke, the form of a bizarre man appeared in the room with him. His image was ideal, perhaps even perfect if not for the tarnished green bronze appearance of his skin. He was wrapped in the same radiance of the angels and no more; his face was strangely blank, with eyes of shining bronze. Just by his presence, it felt to Hiroko like everything about her, body and soul, was being crushed into dust.

"No!" Aleph whirled around and cut through the bronzed figure. It relieved the pressure, allowing the rest of them to move. "Bad!"

The figure flew backwards with only the light around him shifting. "You… you wretched one! How dare you declare me to be bad! I am the God you were meant to serve; I am the ultimate, YHVH, and you should accept your fate meekly!"

"No," Aleph said, pursing him easily and cutting through him again.

God growled and near instantly made the same explosion of light and energy that Aleph had been using when he'd been humming lately. It threw Hiroko back into the wall, feeling like she'd been cut through with nails. The demons that had been helping them were destroyed as soon as they were touched by the attack. Still, Aleph did not hesitate and attacked again.

Were they really ready for this? Hiroko cast her healing magic, not able to fully erase all of her pain. She stayed where she was, against the wall and pillar, while Aleph did not relent even against God. He tried to burn Aleph in bright blue fire, electrocute him with red lightning, and even blast him away with a concentrated fire of the explosion of light. Slipping to the floor, Hiroko tried to make herself a smaller target while healing Aleph constantly. With that support, Aleph did not seem afraid at all. He chased the bronze figure all over the room, putting everything he had into his attacks.

And slowly, surely, Aleph gained the upper hand. God bled light, becoming a more indistinct figure as the light tried to keep out of reach. Aleph wouldn't let him. As the fight continued, he predicted God's movements more accurately, cutting through him as he tried to race by. And when God seemed to be nothing but light, Aleph cut through something in his core that shattered, dissipating the light.

"You… this can't be happening!" The figure of light quivered and tried to flee, but Aleph cut through it again. "You will be cursed, foul one, for this blasphemous crime! You and you children, and your children's children, and their children through all eternity, they will be cursed and all the guilt of that will lie upon you, false Messiah. I will..." he shrieked Aleph struck again and completely demolished him.

With that done, Aleph dropped his sword and wavered on his feet. Hiroko got back up and hurried over. "Aleph?! Are you okay?" She caught him before he collapsed.

"No," he said, gripping her tightly. His body was shaking. "Mom… okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," she said, using her other arm to support him too. The oppression that this room had was disappearing, but she didn't think it was good to stay here. She picked up the katana and was momentarily surprised at how heavy it was; Aleph had been using it without any problems, so she'd assumed it was much lighter than it seemed. "Here, put this away; we'll go find somewhere for you to rest."

"Yes," he said, putting the sword in its holder on his back. Then Hiroko did her best to help him walk out of the room. He was toughing out whatever pain he was in, but either the effort from the battles or whatever curse was placed upon him had him suffering.

Back outside the room, they found that the other elder had cured Zayin. "Aleph, what's wrong?" Zayin asked, coming over immediately. His movements were stiff and slow.

"You didn't tell us that the other elders were the seraphs," Hiroko said, trying to hold back on her anger. "We barely defeated them, and then, God Himself attacked us."

"No," Aleph said wearily.

"But that..." Hiroko was confused.

"He's right, that wasn't God that he defeated just now," the other elder said. There was a flash of light and the fourth seraph was standing there. "That was an extremely powerful being in its own right, Demiurge. But, not God, merely one standing in His place. I am Gabriel, also one of the seraphs. I apologize for not being forthright, but at the same time, I thank you for putting down the insane ones who have put together this farce of a kingdom that dominated humanity instead of trying to save them."

Aleph was slipping in Hiroko's arms. Fortunately, Zayin was there to help out. "I'm shocked that we did," Hiroko said, "But can any explanations wait? Aleph gave everything he had to win that battle for us and he really needs to recover."

"Of course, his apartment is still open to him," Gabriel said. "Zayin, do you think you can carry him? Once he's there, I will see what I can do about undoing the curse Demiurge seems to have placed on him."

"Sure, lead the way," Zayin said, picking up Aleph by his waist and carrying him over his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to do that instead of me. I too was caught off guard to learn who the elders really were."

"Mmm," Aleph said, more out of being exhausted than from being unable to find what to say.

* * *

A voice had spoken to Zayin while he'd been stone. "What you do is God's will. Think: who are you? You are the strongest of those created from the Messiah Project, not either of the potential Messiahs. Think: why is that? You have a special role to play."

There had been more too; he hadn't heard that the elders were the four seraphs until Gabriel told him herself while she had been working to free him. But he had been told that the God they listened to was not God, but Demiurge who believed himself to be God. He should have been the one to fight and defeat the elders and Demiurge once Gabriel freed him.

However, the one who had succeeded at that task was Aleph. Was he a true Messiah now? Aleph was now lying on his bed, fitfully asleep while Gabriel sat beside him, singing while she tried to do something for him. Hiroko had been left to sleep in the guest room, while Zayin was there watching Aleph and Gabriel. What now?

When Gabriel stopped singing, she stroked Aleph's face. He shivered at that and muttered something. "I did what I could, but could not undo it all," she said. "He might not have a peaceful night's rest ever again. Perhaps because he was made to Demiurge's specifications, the curse is already deeply ingrained in his soul."

"What do we do with them now?" Zayin asked. "It may have been false, but he at least did not hesitate to destroy what he thought was God. And she helped him thinking the same. He is extraordinarily powerful, having slain many. They cannot be allowed into paradise as they are."

"Not unless they give us a powerful sign of their allegiance to the true God," Gabriel agreed. "However, there is much work to be done, and quickly. The dragons are stirring, so we're on a deadline already. Do you know if Lucifer has contacted either of them yet?"

Zayin shook his head. "I see no signs of that in them, nor have I heard anything telling. I do know that he has been spotted in a human guise around Holytown. He tried to persuade me to his side before I knew who I was. If he spotted Aleph at any time he was in Holytown, I know Lucifer would recognize him and try to manipulate him away from us."

"If he got Aleph's allegiance, I'm sure Lucifer would immediately cease his pretense of restraint," Gabriel said. "But if we can convince Aleph to kill Lucifer for us, it won't matter."

"I was meant to do that," Zayin said.

She turned to him. "Yes, but if he can defeat Demiurge, he has a significant chance at being victorious over Lucifer. The people of Millennium are suspicious of Aleph due to the rapid shifts of news about him. On the other hand, they trust you immensely now due to releasing the truth to them. We've already restored Holytown to normal; they should be grateful and listen to you if you took control of the Center. I'm afraid I should not do that, as they are already geared against me as one of the elders. We can then continue moving people up to Eden."

That made sense; it was important to get the right people into place. "I see. Lucifer has done all we need him to?"

"So far," she said. "It's the right time to be sending someone to him, and I need you at my side to begin fulfilling your purpose."

"All right, we'll talk with them when they wake up," Zayin said.

* * *

Walking thought the endless dark and cold… just walking. He was meant to go somewhere, Aleph could feel that. This place reminded him of when he realized his Mom wasn't there and couldn't be called for. Lost when nothing familiar was around, alone with no idea how to find her; he didn't like this place. He'd go anywhere just to be out of here. He wanted to cry, but made himself not. He was to be strong for the people, just like Kazuya was.

"Would you like a light to guide your way?" a voice said. "One that will respect the way you choose?"

He paused, seeing no one there. "Yes," he replied.

"Then call upon the gods of heaven and earth, these," some cards appeared before Aleph, showing the demons he had in particular formations. Summoning formations.

"Thank you," he said.

"Then, awaken from this place." Aleph's eyes were closed and he felt a tingling throughout his body. Something held him down.

When he opened his eyes, he realized it was just the blanket over him. He was back in his apartment in the Center, in his own bed. Not wanting to return to that cold lonely dream, he got out of bed and got dressed in fresh clothes. Oddly enough, the ones that had gotten left for him weren't the uniform of a temple knight. He couldn't find any of those, even though he was sure he had spares. But these fit and were what he had available. He'd go with them.

There was some noise from the kitchen. He found Hiroko in there when he came out of his bedroom. "Hello Aleph, how are you now?" she asked, pausing in her task there.

"Okay," he said, since he didn't feel good. His muscles felt sore and there were lingering feelings, from the nightmare and also from how sickened he had felt when the false God cursed him. He had his mother, but he felt like he was abandoned again.

"We should have some time to settle down after that," Hiroko said. "I'll have breakfast made in a bit. It's nothing special, but I wanted to do something fresh."

"Thank you," he said, smiling at her.

"I used to cook for my father every day when he was working, after my mother passed away," Hiroko said, starting to cook some scrambled eggs. "It was tough without her, especially since Dad seemed to ignore his sorrow through work. There were many days when I'd have to bring dinner over to the lab for him, yet I still had to be around the Center serving as a temple knight. But I really liked the work, even days when there were tough demons to dispatch. Nothing quite like what we faced yesterday, though."

"Yes," Aleph agreed. But he hadn't let himself accept losing as an option. He'd decided to be a Messiah, so even though they had called him fake, he was still going to act as a Messiah. And that meant defeating demons that meant to harm humans, including the seraphs and even the fake God.

"It is nice to get back to normal things like cooking breakfast after that," Hiroko said. "I had disturbing dreams when I tried to sleep; it seems like you did too. But this is normal life, outside of all that. I would have been happy to keep a normal life as a knight, and as a mother." She smiled. "You know, I was very excited at the idea of being a mother, even as a surrogate. I was tested as being fertile and healthy enough for my own pregnancy, but they told me that they were running an experiment for the sake of women who were infertile or unable to carry their baby to term. But now that I think over what I can remember, I don't think they ever said anything about being allowed to keep you after birth. I couldn't imagine what they'd end up doing to you."

"Mom, okay," he said, trying to reassure her. "Fine."

"You're still not able to live up to your full potential," she said, then shook her head. "Sorry, I don't mean to be dismal. And even as you are, you're doing far more than most people could imagine themselves doing. You're doing it all to keep others safe. I'm proud of you, Aleph."

Feeling bashful, he laughed and felt grateful that he did have her with him. It was as things should be.

After they shared breakfast (during which Hiroko suggested they draw something together, which was fun), they got called to the control room by Zayin and Gabriel. "We've made sure all the life support systems are running smoothly," Zayin said. "And the people know that the elders have been thrown down. For now, Gabriel and I are taking charge of making sure things go right and life returns to normal."

"Good," Aleph said. He couldn't take on a job like that himself; it'd be too hard for him to let other people know what to do. He was better at doing things.

"There is some trouble, though," Zayin said, pointing them to a monitor that showed the streets around the Grand Church. There was something new there, a strange dark tower that pulsated with red light. "This appeared overnight in Holytown; we have confirmed that it is the tail of a demon named Moloch. Lucifer is using it to drain a vast amount of magnetite from our world. So even though we restored Holytown to normal, this appeared and many that we saved have collapsed and died in the hours since. We unlocked the passage to evacuate people, but Moloch has a powerful pull. This tower has some protection against that, but we had to relocate many to the Factory district and Moloch is starting to drain magnetite from there as well."

"That's horrible," Hiroko said. "Can't we destroy the tail?"

"I'm still recovering, but I intend to see what I can do shortly, as soon as I can move freely," he said. "And, it may be faster to carry out the other mission we have to talk about and take care of Moloch along the way."

"Yes, now we need to speak about the mission we intended you to have," Gabriel said. "There is no way we can carry out the full plan in good conscience, and it would be against God's will. However, one thing that hasn't changed is that we need to take care of Lucifer. He was meant to be forbidden from entering the human world for good, but the power of the summoning that was last done for him was strong enough to break that prohibition. In the past, he has stirred up wars just to entertain himself and corrupted many promising and powerful people that should have done great works for the world. Instead, those people were lost to self-indulgence and ruin. He must be destroyed and his soul banished from this world once again."

"Okay," Aleph said.

She bowed her head. "Thank you, Aleph, I have great confidence in you. There is a place in the underworld you need to go then. When you and Zayin opened up the portal into the Abyss in the Grand Cathedral, you were entering through a back door, so to speak. An improper entrance. When you set out to kill Lucifer, you should make your entrance from the front door, through the proper entrance spell. It requires seven magical pillars placed at altars within a large open location with a strong connection to the Abyss. Such a place is in the underworld; the pillars have already come into the world with Lucifer's return. And, someone has set up altars at the right location."

"We believe it's Daleth's doing," Zayin said. "Since you humiliated him in the Coliseum and he killed Beth on accident, he has truly become an Anti-Messiah who seeks the power of Lucifer solely to bring you down. I attempted to defeat him a few days ago when he assaulted me unexpectedly and he has already grown strong with the power of Chaos that Lucifer rules over. He fled before I could defeat him and I was injured quite badly from the effort. You will need to confront him to gain access to the Abyss entrance."

"Okay," Aleph said, feeling a pang of sadness at the reminder of Beth.

"The path through the Abyss is long and difficult," Gabriel said. "However, I have faith that you can make it to Kether Castle, where Lucifer resides, and be much stronger for making the full trip. Also, I wanted to tell you about something I felt when I was working on the curse Demiurge laid upon you. You are incapable of full communications because of a scar in your mind that should take care of parsing ideas into speech. But with my power as a seraph, I can grant you a miracle that would allow you to speak freely, with no trouble at all."

Really, she could do that? Now that he had Hiroko back as his mother, being able to speak was the thing he wanted most. "Please?" Aleph asked, touching his throat.

"Actually, I can't at the moment," she said, unfortunately. "The way the scar lies in your mind makes that area fragile; gifting you with a voice without care could cause the damage to spread. It may be a miracle, but I still need to carefully plan this out. You shouldn't need that level of speech to complete your mission against Lucifer, though."

"Mmm." Why did she bring that up now then?

Then she had something surprising to say, a request. "Also, I would like you to give over that katana before you head out."

"Why?" Hiroko asked. "That sword is a big reason we were able to be victorious yesterday; it will help more to have against Lucifer than to try tracking down another sword of that caliber."

"I can provide a more appropriate sword to replace that one once I have it," Gabriel said. "Even another katana if you so choose. That katana is influenced by a once-human soul that would now claim to be a deity. He is another false god, even more degenerate than the one you took care of yesterday. Give over his sword and do not ally with the other degenerates that he associates with."

"No," Aleph said. He'd taken this sword so that he could help protect people, and to be like Kazuya. He doubted that even Gabriel could give him a more significant weapon than this one.

"It was once used by someone he greatly admires, so I don't think he'll want to give it up any time soon," Hiroko said.

"That is a dangerous thing to cling to," she said, hiding any disappointment she had well. "I beg you to reconsider, for the sake of maintaining yourself as a good and pure Messiah, beyond the expectations of those who created you."

"If you start to have difficulty with the demons in the Abyss, you might reconsider replacing that sword," Zayin said.

"Maybe," Aleph said.

That concluded the meeting, so Aleph headed off with Hiroko to the underground area that Gabriel directed them to.


	12. Entering the Abyss

This was an area of the underground they'd visited. As it gave off a powerful song, Aleph avoided exploring it too much. The altars all faced a pattern burned into the ground; strange torches that radiated magic lit the area instead of streetlights, making the shadows sway and dance. Five of the shrines had pillars just like the Sun pillar Aleph had: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. However, the northern-most shrine had no pillar and placing the sun pillar there did nothing.

"There were seven pillars, but only six alters here," Hiroko said. "I would guess that the sun needs to go in the center. But, we need one more pillar to get to the Abyss. Perhaps the earth, or even the moon if it's using celestial bodies that we see in the sky."

Aleph nodded and put the Sun Pillar back into storage. If she said the Sun needed to be in the center, it had to be that way. "Daleth."

"Right, but where would he be? Let's go to the nearest town, they might know something."

They headed out of the altar field and went to reach the town. This area was oddly quiet, like demons were avoiding it. On the way, they stumbled across Daleth traveling with two yousei demons. "Wh-hey!" Daleth narrowed his eyes at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Abyss?" Aleph asked, pointing out the altars in the field behind them.

"That's none of your business," Daleth said, drawing his sword. "But since you are here, it saves me the trouble of tracking you down. I will defeat you this time!"

"No," Aleph said, holding his hand up. Maybe he was trying to be the anti-messiah, but Beth hadn't wanted him to die.

"D-Daleth, maybe," the female demon said to him, reaching over but not brave enough to touch him.

"No, it's his fault that Beth died, not mine!" Daleth shouted. "And for that, for stealing the legacy I deserved, he must die!" He lunged forward.

Backing off so he had some time, Aleph drew his katana to block him. Not even the sight of the miracle flames deterred Daleth. When their blades locked, the male demon pulled something out of his pocket: a frail looking bottle. "Is it time?" he asked.

"Yes, Puck, now!" Daleth said.

"What are you doing?" Hiroko said, coming forward and trying to block the bottle with her shield. It shattered into magic, releasing a pearl pink cloud over her. "Urgh!"

"Mom?" Aleph asked, worried.

"How is this your mother?" Daleth asked. "And what do you think you're doing, Puck?"

"Whoops, didn't throw as hard as I could," Puck said, backing off. "Well, I did as asked, so see ya." He then sprinted off.

Daleth backed off; Aleph let him. "Hey, Puck! Get back here! Ugh, now what?"

"Mom?" Aleph asked again, going over to her. An odd music was connected to her now. "Okay?"

"Uh, yeah," she said. However, she was looking strangely at Daleth. "Oh, so your name is Daleth? I remember you a bit."

"Yeah, we were temple knights together," Daleth said. Meanwhile, the female demon had her hands over her mouth, looking shocked and worried.

"Ooo, I never noticed before how attractive you were," Hiroko said, also smiling strangely. She went over to him in spite of him having his sword out. "And so strong, and graceful. You are just a delicious hunk of a man."

"H-h-hey, hold up!" Daleth said, turning and backing up. "I didn't..." he looked to her with some realization and paled. "Oh shit, um, this wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"That's okay, Daleth," Hiroko said, reaching out to him. For some reason, he flinched. "Because I want to be with you forever, right at your side."

"It's not supposed to be you, it's..." he backed off and she took a quicker step to almost catch him. "Get away from me, you crazy woman!" Daleth ran off the way Puck had gone.

Hiroko laughed and chased right after him. "Daleth! Come back here, my handsome fellow!"

"Mom?" Aleph started after her, but some tears blurred his vision. "Mom!"

"Uh, I'm terribly sorry about all this," the female demon said; Aleph stopped to listen. "Er, um, I mean, m-my name is Anoon. Your mother has been affected by Infidelilly Sap, a potion that makes the one affected fall madly in love with the first person they see. She won't be able to think of anything but Daleth from now until the potion fades, and that could be months."

"Mmm." He rubbed his eyes, wondering what to do now. He was supposed to be opening up this portal to the Abyss, but he wanted to be traveling with his mother, to make sure she was safe.

"Um, he meant for it to hit you, and then for you to see me," Anoon said, trembling with nervousness. "But actually, I… um, never mind. There is a way to break the curse of the Infidelilly Sap sooner, but we will need to speak to the king of the Yousei, Oberon. I don't mind helping you do that, if well… please don't kill Daleth!" She got desperate and grabbed his arm. "I know what he wants to do, ruin you, but he's really a good person, and he is handsome. Um, I mean, I have my own idea, but we need to speak to Oberon."

"Okay," Aleph said with a nod. "Daleth… good." And Beth didn't want him to kill Daleth either, so he didn't mind helping Anoon with whatever she had in mind. "Lead?"

"Yes, I'll bring you to the town of the Yousei," Anoon said, pulling her hand back to bow low to him. "Thank you, I'll do my best to talk him out of these ideas. Let's go."

Since many of the demons in this area were yousei, they didn't come out to attack while Anoon was walking with him. The fairies had some greenery around their town, including flowers. But they were all produced with magic, not natural. Still, it was one of the prettier areas in the underground. King Oberon was in one of the garden areas, near a stained glass window that the yousei had brought over from somewhere else. His wings were like stained glass, actually, full of many bright colors.

The king turned around upon hearing them enter his garden. "Ah, Anoon, what brings you by?" he asked in a friendly manner. Then he stared at Aleph, tilting his head. "Hmm? This is..."

"This is Aleph, sire, the one the people of Millennium are calling a Messiah," Anoon said. "Aleph, this is Oberon, our king."

"Hello," Aleph said, giving him a small bow. He didn't really know this king, but it seemed right to be respectful.

"Hello to you too," Oberon said. "Hmm, I was worried about their Messiah, that he might turn out to be against us Yousei. But I know that sword as one that belongs to a hero of this land. I hold great respect for that man and know that he would not pass on his sword lightly. Then what brings you to our kingdom?"

"Abyss," he said.

"You're trying to enter the Abyss?" Oberon asked in surprise. "Huh, I know Daleth is trying to do the same. But he has had trouble gaining the Moon and Sun pillars. I'm surprised that you'd want to work with him, considering what he has said before."

"Um, it's more than that," Anoon said, then explained what happened with Hiroko and the Infidelilly Sap. "He wants to snap his mother out of the infatuation, and well, I, um..."

"Don't worry, I can tell what you'd like to do," Oberon said, making Anoon blush. "That incorrigible Puck, always making more trouble out of simple matters. I can break the spell over Hiroko, but to settle matters best, we need another dose of the Infidellily Sap. However, you'll need to acquire that dose from Puck and give the bottle of it to Anoon without breaking it. Trust me, it's for the best."

"Okay," Aleph said. "Where?"

"Puck?" Oberon asked. "He's caused so much trouble among the yousei that he's become an outcast, thus he hangs out in a building to the east of here. Be careful of his traps and tricks when you go; it's his hideout, so he'll have lots to trouble you with."

The traps started even before he got in, as there was a hidden clamp trap just underneath the dirt outside the door. Aleph sensed it by an odd note when he glanced at the spot, much like he'd sensed out the holes in the darkness of the Factory mines. With a nearby rock, he triggered it so that it didn't snap onto his leg upon stepping onto it.

There was a laugh from just inside, a glint of glass. "Hah hah, got you already, you..."

In the time of his boast, Puck had thrown another frail bottle at Aleph. As he wasn't distracted in battle this time, Aleph snatched it out of the air and threw it back the way it had come. It shattered on Puck, hidden in the dark area of the doorway.

"Wh-what have you done?" Puck said, frantically coming out of building. He looked down at the closed trap, then up at Aleph. "Ah, heh heh, so you avoided that trap."

"Yes," Aleph said, drawing his katana.

"Whoa, hang on there," he said, holding his hands up. "Ah, I don't really want to fight you right now, cause, uh, that was a Sealilly Sap there, and now I can't do my magic. It really sucks. But hey, the way you must have noticed the bear trap, and then threw the Sealilly Sap back at me, well, that takes incredible observation and dexterity! You're a natural-born trickster, I can see it already! So, what say you to becoming my apprentice? Hmm?"

"No," Aleph said. Now, the potion he was meant to get… that was a tough word. "Oberon."

"Oh, uh, he sent you?" Puck asked nervously. "Well, it's about the Infidelilly sap, right? I do have some more. And since you did such a fine job there avoiding my trap, I think we can settle this with makka, huh? I'll sell my other bottle of Infidelilly Sap to you for ten thousand makka. It's an incredible deal, as that stuff is not easy to make."

That would solve it quickly. But, Puck had caused Hiroko to go crazy and run off on her own after Daleth. "No," he said, readying his katana for a fight.

"N-n-no!" he squealed, nearly running inside. "Okay okay, I'll give it you you! No violence, please? I wouldn't mind giving you a fight to remember if I wasn't sealed, but, uh..."

"No," Aleph said, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh shit, you really are mad," Puck said, trembling. "Well, here, I'll give you the Infidelilly Sap and the ten thousand makka! No tricks about it, promise! Just don't kill me, please?"

Puck was a demon. But he was a yousei demon and most of them weren't all that bad. This one might be an outcast, but they might not be so friendly if he killed Puck. "Okay," Aleph said, but kept his sword out while Puck passed over the frail bottle and makka. Puck then dashed into his hideout; Aleph left him and headed back to the yousei town.

Oberon wanted to check on the Infidelilly Sap in case of an extra prank. "That looks good," he said. "Anoon found Hiroko and Daleth; they're in that building over there, and Anoon is keeping an eye on them. Head on over and get the sap to her. I'll have the infatuation broken by the time you get to them."

"Thank you," Aleph said, taking the bottle back carefully.

"And thank you for scaring Puck instead of killing him," Oberon said. "You'll be welcome back in our town anytime."

In a small house across the road and down a ways from Oberon's garden, Aleph could hear them arguing from outside. "Just what were you trying to pull there?" Hiroko asked angrily. "Were you trying to get Aleph to fall madly in love with you?"

"Wh-wh-what, no you crazy woman!" Daleth stammered. "What makes you think that?"

"You had that idiot Puck throw the potion when you were locking blades and not able to look away from each other," she said as Aleph got inside. "So who did you expect Aleph to see first in that situation?"

Daleth made some strange squeaking sound at that. "No no no no, that's not what I meant at all! I was going to set it up so it seemed more natural, but the chance just dangled in front of me when you two showed up!"

"I don't believe you, you sick twerp!" Hiroko yelled angrily.

Anoon was wisely keeping out of the room. "Oh, do you have the sap?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," he said, handing the bottle over.

"Thank you so much," she said with a happy smile. "Okay, go bring her out of the room, and quickly get her out of Daleth's sight. Trust me."

He nodded, then went into the doorway. "Mom?"

"Oh thank goodness, Aleph," she said, coming over to him. "I'm okay now, I just want to get away from this nasty pervert."

"I am not a pervert!" Daleth insisted. "This was all some stupid misunderstanding."

Aleph offered his hand, then pulled Hiroko around the corner quickly. "Hush."

"Hmm?" she asked, then noticed Anoon behind her had thrown the other bottle of Infidelilly Sap at Daleth.

"Hey!" Daleth said. But it wasn't long before his whole attitude change. "H-huh? Oh, Anoon, um..."

"Sorry, Daleth, I should have stopped you from carrying out this plot at all," Anoon said, nervously clasping her hands to her chest. "The truth is, um, I, um, I really like you, ever since you showed up down here. But, do you really need to defeat Aleph?"

Daleth came out of the room, his eyes solely on her. "Oh, um, if you don't want me to, I won't. I didn't imagine you'd feel that way; you were nice to me, but I… I'm sorry, Anoon, but I never noticed how lovely you are before. And kind… I want to be with you now."

"I'm glad, Daleth," Anoon said. "But, Aleph and Hiroko..."

Daleth seemed reluctant, but he looked away from Anoon for a bit. "Oh, I'm sorry about all that mess. I, I was so angry and hateful about you, Aleph, about how Beth was obsessed over you when I loved her, and how she would sacrifice herself for you..."

"You," Aleph said, pointing to him.

"Didn't she put herself between you two so neither of you would die, if I heard that right?" Hiroko asked.

"Well, yes," Daleth said regretfully. "I really hated Aleph for it all, but… I don't know, it all evaporated just now. I was going to open a portal to the Abyss and offer myself as the anti-messiah to Lucifer, just so I could defeat Aleph. It was like, I forgot the whole reason I was working so hard to fulfill the legends of the Messiah, to protect people and fulfill my purpose. I really am sorry, and I understand if you can't forgive me of all I've done."

"Okay," Aleph said, extending a hand to him. "Friend." It was based on a false past, but Beth wanted them all to be friends. Aleph wanted that too.

"Thanks, friend," Daleth said, a relived smile on his face as he came over and shook hands with him. "I can dismantle the portal I set up so no trouble comes out of it; didn't even have it complete, so..."

"Actually," Hiroko said, holding a hand up to get his attention. "We're going after Lucifer into the Abyss, so we need that portal open."

"You're going directly after Lucifer?" he asked in shock, first looking to Hiroko, then Aleph.

"Yes," he said.

"That's incredible," he said. "Although, it is what we were ultimately meant to do. All right, then I can help you complete it. The trouble is that I've not been able to earn the Moon Pillar, and I don't have a clue where the Sun Pillar is. We need them both for the magic to work."

"We have the Sun Pillar," Hiroko said. "We got it from Amaterasu when we freed the gods of Japan. Then what about the Moon Pillar?"

"Well that sort of makes things easier," Daleth said. "The Moon Pillar, well, it passed into the possession of the owner of the Holytown disco. At every full moon, they hold a dance rave with a contest at the start. The pillar is one of the prizes, and I've been waiting on the full moon tonight so that they hold the rave. But, I'm not so sure about my skills as a dancer."

"Dance," Aleph said, nodding. "Train."

"Are you trying to say you did dancing for training?" Daleth guessed.

"Yes," he said.

"Wow, so we might be able to do this soon after all," Daleth said. "I had been going out to check on the other pillars, make sure nobody's walked off with one. But then, the demons other than the yousei and the chirei around here have been anticipating this portal being opened. They've managed to keep anyone from messing with the area. Although, we won't have much time now to make it to the rave in time for the contest. We'd better get going." He then turned to Anoon. "Uh, I'd love to take you, if we could disguise you as a human. They wouldn't allow demons in, not even wonderful ones such as yourself."

"Oh, I have some friends that can help with that," Anoon said eagerly. "I'd love to dance with you."

He smiled brightly then. "Great, I would too! Let's go, quickly."

As an elf, Anoon was already very human looking. All it took from the other elves was some magic to make her more demonic features, like her silver eyes and ivy markings, look more human, like gray eyes and ivy tattoos. They then used the terminal in the yousei town to get to Holytown. However, it occurred to Aleph then that the rave party wasn't going to happen.

"It's awfully quiet up here," Daleth said as they stepped out into the streets. They were lit up like the streets of the underground. Yet, something seemed darker here.

"No," Aleph said, putting his hand to his cheek. "Bad. Moloch."

"That's right, I forgot about that with that sap business," Hiroko said with a bit of horror. "There's a tower near the Grand Church that's Moloch's tail, direct from the Abyss. It showed up just last night. He's draining magnetite from up here to some purpose, under Lucifer's orders."

"We shouldn't be up here long," Anoon said, looking at them in concern. "But, why? Moloch can steal large amounts of magnetite, yes, but he usually does it quickly. He'd have an enormous amount having drained energy for an entire day."

"Looks like you'd better get to the Abyss quickly," Daleth said. "Let's go by the disco anyhow; the pillar should still be there."

And it was, just as he said. The disco was silent and empty, dark further in where the dance hall was. But out front, there was a display case showing the prizes for winning the dance rave contest. The Moon Pillar was there, glowing faintly as they approached. "If there's an electronic lock, Aleph can bypass those easily," Hiroko said, looking around.

"No, it's a regular lock, I saw it before," Dalth said, pointing out the metal lock on the handle to open the case. "The key's probably somewhere nearby if we look around."

But, they didn't want to spend too much time here. Aleph looked over the glass, tapping it. The sounds in his head led him to a weaker point in the glass. While the others started to go towards offices nearby, he punched the weak point and shattered the glass over the Moon Pillar instantly.

"Aleph!" Hiroko said, coming back to him. "What, how… are you okay? Are you bleeding from that?"

"No," he said, showing her his hand. He was perfectly fine from that.

"But that glass is going to be sharp, so don't touch any of it," she said.

"Okay," he said, examining the pillar until he found a part without any glass shards on it. He got a grip there, shook off the bits of glass, then pulled it out.

"Wow, I don't believe you pulled that off," Daleth said, impressed. "I figured that was security glass that wouldn't easily break."

"Go," he said, sending the Moon Pillar away.

"Right, we'd better get out of Holytown before Moloch drains us to death," Daleth said.

But they had spent enough time there that they were tired, so they had to rest for a while in the yousei town before going to open the portal.

* * *

When Daleth had been defeated in the Coliseum, in a match that he felt he should have won, he had fled to the underground. He had spent a lot of time down here training as the demons were stronger. And, the more peaceful inhabitants were generally good people, even for demons. When he'd arrived in the yousei apothecary for help with his wounds, Anoon had offered him a place to rest and recover without question. He really should have realized sooner just how wonderful she was.

Because once he had… everything changed. All the hate and anger inside him, the pain of disappointment and rage, it all evaporated like it didn't mean anything. He still felt a lot of guilt over how Beth had died. But, he should have accepted it sooner, that she truly loved Aleph and only him. Daleth hadn't realized how much weight all that was to carry constantly until it was gone. Now, none of it mattered anymore. Not even being the Messiah or anti-messiah mattered. He just wanted to be with Anoon, to make her happy and make up for his terrible behavior before.

And now here he was, helping Aleph to get to the Abyss first. "I've already done all the prep work, that's proven by the appearance of that statue," Daleth said as they walked down into the center of the portal's structure. "Just place the Sun Pillar in its hands and you should open a passage to Yesod. It's the far end of the Abyss from Kether Castle, where Lucifer resides. But you should be much stronger for traveling across that distance."

"Thank you," Aleph said.

"It's the least I could do after the trouble I've caused you all this time," Daleth said. "I'm going to stay up here with Anoon, so make sure you and Hiroko make it through all these trials of being a Messiah. I want to be able to sit and chat with you after it all as the friends we should have been. At least, as much as you can chat."

"Okay," Aleph said, smiling at that. He went ahead with Hiroko to place the Sun Pillar in the altar that had been transported up from the Abyss.

In the statue's hand, the pillar released a powerful light, like the sun had been released in the underground to shine its light underneath Millennium and onto Tokyo again. The other pillars glowed in response, forming a six-pointed star surrounding the sun shrine. The statue accepted that glow, becoming something that teleported Aleph and Hiroko away so that they arrived into the Abyss. The star got burned onto the ground and the Sun Pillar continued to glow.

"They're gone now," Daleth said. "I hope they do come back. It's strange; I never wanted to see him again until I could defeat him. We were supposed to be identical in purpose and potential. But, he had some small thing that I didn't, and that pushed him so far ahead… I don't think I could catch up to him now, no matter how hard I try."

"It's okay, Daleth," Anoon said, taking his arm. "I think you're wonderful as you are. You worked hard for those pillars, but you could give them away for something more important than your revenge. And, you've always done well helping out us yousei, especially me."

When he turned to her, his worries slipped away from him once more. "You know, I think I could be happy with that."

* * *

They appeared in what seemed like a grassy field, with black ground and silver grass. Blue crystals near the ground lit a path to a building not far from the entrance. Another path of light led to a strange floating stone between three pillars. Other than those structures, there was no sign of a civilization here. A huge shining moon hung in the sky, casting its pale light over everything. And past that building and the edges of a cliff, there seemed to be nothing except for a line of pointed mountains. Or, was that what it was?

"So this is Yesod of the Abyss, huh?" Hiroko said, looking around. "It's kind of peaceful. I wonder if the demons that were here left for our world."

While she spoke, Aleph became certain there was something strange with those mountains. He pointed over to them. "Look."

"Hmm, what about the mountains?" she asked, looking to him, then the mountains. He gave her a moment, during which a ripple passed along the line. "Hey, those are moving, aren't they? What's up with that?"

"That would be the great dragon Kuzuryu," a man said behind them.

Aleph turned with his hand on the katana's handle, but quickly let go when he saw the man in the wheelchair there. "Steven?" he asked.

"Hello, Aleph, Hiroko," he said, giving a small wave to them. "Welcome to the Abyss. You're safe for the moment because there's not many demons in Yesod right now. But with the Abyss' moon full, they would be very excited and more aggressive if they were. It's even more important down here to keep an eye on the phase of the moon."

"Okay," Aleph said. At least it was right up there, instead of him having to check with the program to know what stage the Abyss Moon was on.

"What are you doing here?" Hiroko asked. "You don't seem like a demon."

"I'm not, at least I don't think so," Steven said. "I don't actually live down here, but I keep a constant eye on the terminal network. That is how I knew to meet you here now. You see that stone pillar back there? It's an artifact that functions just like the terminals in Mulkuth, the human world. As you intend to descend further into the Abyss, I would like to update your arm terminals so that you can use the stone terminals just like the computer ones. There may be times when you need to get to Mulkuth or other parts of the Abyss quickly."

Hiroko was looking to him, not sure about Steven. "Okay," Aleph said, then pointed over to him. "Good."

"All right, it's just surprising to run into another human right away," she said.

"Thank you, I can do the upgrades wirelessly," Steven said, working with a computer attached to the side of his wheelchair. "There are in fact a few other humans spread through the Abyss, here for various reasons. So, have you committed to working with or against Gabriel?"

"No," Aleph said.

"Right, she wanted him to give up Masakado's katana," Hiroko said.

"Understandable, for both of them," Steven said. "Other options may come up, so keep your mind open."

"So what about this Kuzuryu?" Hiroko asked, looking back to the moving mountains. "It's massive if that line of mountains is its body."

"That's only a portion of its back," Steven said, finishing up whatever he was typing. "It's an ancient dragon of earth that has portions of its body in different worlds, including different lands of the Abyss. It usually doesn't move even down here. It's worrisome, but not clear why yet that it's moving."

A huge dragon that usually slept was moving; one slept when one was without energy, stirring when one had energy. Maybe it had slept long enough for a dragon, or maybe, "Moloch?" Aleph asked.

"Moloch is a different demon, also massive but not as massive as Kuzuryu," Steven said. "The difference can be seen in the quality of their scales, whether like mountainous soil and rock of Kuzuryu or the shimmering black or marble quality of Moloch."

Aleph shook his head. That wasn't what he meant. "Mmm," he put his fingers locked together, then pointed back out to Kuzuryu.

"You think Moloch appearing in Holytown and Kuzuryu starting to move are connected?" Hiroko asked.

"Yes," Aleph said.

"That could very well be, explaining the volume of magnetite that Moloch is taking in," Steven said. "That would suggest that Lucifer would know something about their movements, if he hadn't ordered them himself. The way to Kether Castle isn't easy, but you should get there soon. Hectate is in the passage to Tiphereth; she's a goddess powered by the moon of whatever world she's in. You should be able to access Hod and Netzach from here, but you'll need to pass through Tiphereth to get to Kether."

"All right, then we'll have to watch our timing on that one," Hiroko said.

Their arm terminals beeped at the same time. "There, you now have access to the terminal stones of the Abyss," Steven said. "Simply scan those you come across to gain access to that area. Also, Aleph, I am starting work on a large upgrade to the demon summoning program. I'll be sure to send you information on what that update contains when it's ready; I have something else in mind specifically for you. We can talk about that when the time comes. Good luck with getting through the Abyss." He then left them for the Terminal Stone, where he teleported away.

"We should get the Yesod terminal before moving on," Hiroko said. "What do you think, should we figure out where Hectate is first to challenge her at the right time?"

"Yes," Aleph said.


	13. Warping the Difficulty Curve

It was snowing in Hod, something that delighted Aleph. He remembered how one of his early miracles was causing snow to fall when he got curious about what some children wanted. And, that had been the first time he'd seen Louis, hadn't it? He'd stood out of the crowd when he was trying not to, but his presence seemed to amplify Aleph's head music. Was he still alive? He'd been in Holytown and said he traveled to Valhalla as well.

While that shouldn't be something of great importance, the fact that music was so different around that man indicated that maybe it was. But until Aleph found him again, there wasn't anything he could do about it. He twirled around in the foot deep snow, remembering something about snow and dancing. "Snow!" he said happily.

Hiroko laughed at that. "There certainly is plenty of that. Millennium could make it snow whenever they wanted, although they kept it to special occasions. I wonder if they can do the same here." After a moment, she tugged at him. "As lovely as it is, we do need to keep focused on finding the keys onward."

"Okay," Aleph said.

He was also keeping an eye out for demons he'd seen in his dreams. If he wanted to get help from the gods he had rescued, it would be best to do so by fusing them at the Heretic Mansion. They might have to leave for Holytown for that, or head onward to Tipherth. He was fairly certain there had been one down there.

While the battles down here were even tougher than those in the underground Tokyo, Aleph found them to be similar to the level 70 trials in virtuals. They were things he could handle on his own. And the more that Mom fought, the stronger she was getting. Aleph still tried to defeat the demons before they could get around to attacking her.

At one point, they ran into two demons who seemed uncertain of fighting them. One of them was a kinnari, a strange woman with a horse head and silk clothes; the other was a joker, a black and white humanoid with several bells in his peculiar outfit. "Your soul has an unusual purity, young man," the kinnari said. "Are you the Messiah?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

"Are you the Messiah of God?" she asked, worried. Meanwhile, the joker tilted his head in thought.

"No?" he said. He was a Messiah to protect people, but the false God who'd tried to use him was dead now.

"I hope you're not," the kinnari said. "We've been hearing talk of it, that a Messiah of God might come and wipe out the Abyss."

"He seems undecided," the joker said. "Is your power true?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

"Can you still call on miracles?" Hiroko asked him. She didn't often step in like this when he was talking with demons, but she seemed too curious to wait.

"Yes," he said, putting a hand to his head. The hum was still there.

The kinnari seemed interested in that. "Really? May I take your hand? I want to see for myself."

"Okay," he said, going over and offering a hand to her.

When she clasped his hand with her dainty pale hand, a smile came to her face. "Oh? Your power is warm and comforting, even to a demon like me. And I can see so clearly. You may not want to bring great destruction, but you can bring destruction or creation on a scale unlike any other mortal. If you alone made a new world… hee hee, that would be paradise." Her expression was like she was remembering a wonderful dream right before she faded away. But unlike the smoke that other demons turned into, she turned into light.

"What?" Aleph asked, worried about her. Did he do something wrong? But he didn't think he'd done anything other than take her hand.

"Huh, she entered a state of nirvana simply by taking your hand," the joker said, impressed. "I've never heard of a human capable of doing that for a demon."

"What?" he asked, turning to the other demon. If it was a good thing, then it was okay.

The joker snapped his fingers. "Nirvana is an enlightened state of being, where a soul understands itself perfectly and is at peace with itself. To be honest, most demons cannot reach a state of nirvana at all. It requires being able to change one's self, which we're quite limited in. Only a select few demons have a chance at all of attaining nirvana on their own, maybe once in a million years. What you just did was quite the miracle."

"Mmm." Aleph rubbed his head. The hum had been a little louder when he touched the kinnari, but it didn't feel like other miracles. But if it was a once in a million years for a very few demons kind of event, it was something of a miracle too.

"As nice as it seems, I have no desire to end up at nirvana yet," the joker said. "But given the light your soul bears, the curse that wraps around it, and you still can enlighten a demon… I have to wonder if you're not an element of true chaos."

"No," Aleph said, since what demons marked as Chaotic in the demon summoning program had attitudes he didn't agree with.

He shook his head, making the bells on his hat jingle. "No, I don't mean Chaos as what most here in the Abyss think it is. I mean chaos as true random chaos, the tiny fractals that make or break reality. Are you the butterfly who can trigger Armageddon?"

"What?" This demon wasn't making sense now.

He laughed at that. "I think you are. I'm curious about what's to happen, what you will decide. Do you mind if I came with you? I like to think I am something of that true chaos too, not like the philosophical Chaos around here. But I greatly respect the contract given by that program and will follow your bidding to become a witness to what your fluttering will do."

Did he want this joker? It wasn't one of those he needed for his fusion plans. But then, he did seem insightful, if strange about it. And he had a tremendous amount of magical power, that was evident in the tones that played when Aleph looked at him. "Okay," he said, accepting the offer of a contract with Gedou Joker.

"Good, I won't let you down," Joker said with a smile.

In fact, Joker was helpful immediately as he could tell them who held the key to Tipherth here in Hod and over in Netzach. The Hod key was simple enough. They had to fight a large female dragon named Tiamat to get it. While she was powerful, he had defeated Demiurge who was far more powerful. Tiamat fell quickly, although she hurt Hiroko badly. Once they were sure she was fine, they headed over to Netzach.

This key was more troublesome as Joker said it might be held by Crowley, a human who had turned himself into a demon by magic hundreds of years ago. Joker didn't know where Crowley would be, but he brought them to a building where a friend of his lived. As Netzach was hot and humid, the buildings were much nicer to be in. Hiroko had said it was like a jungle in this area.

Joker's friend Nebiros was like him in that he had white and black skin. But he wore a bright red cowl that stood out, especially in this place with pale walls and furnishings. Some of it looked familiar to Aleph: the computers, the biovats, the vials, the big folders full of important seeming papers. From that, he guessed that Nebiros would be a scientist like Mekata and Hanada.

Although he was introduced to him, Nebiros was first interested in Joker. "Are you doing well under another summoner?" he asked, going over and looking at his face. "We'd rather you not go unstable again."

"It's only been a brief time, but many battles," Joker said. "I feel fine."

"Okay?" Aleph asked, wondering what that was about.

After a moment, Nebiros nodded in approval. "So far. Joker here had been afflicted by several glitches under his last summoner, one of the few faults we've had interacting with current technology. He's stable now, but if he starts having problems, you'll want to contact me or Steven, the human who maintains the demon summoning program."

"Okay," he said. Maybe there would be something with the music to hint at problems if they came up. "Key?"

"Yes, we're looking for the key to the passage to Tipherth," Hiroko said. "Joker said Crowley probably has it, so where would he be?"

Nebiros closed his eyes and seemed annoyed. "Crowley, huh? He claims to be the king here even though this has always been my lab. I offered to work with him; he's really quite brilliant, even back when he was human. But he gets carried away with his drug and magic fueled orgies, and it's near impossible to get him to complete actual work."

"What?" Aleph asked.

"It's a bad thing," Hiroko said quickly. "That could make it tough to deal with him."

Looking thoughtfully at Aleph, Nebiros said, "Actually, I probably shouldn't say so, but I have a key to the passage onward as well. I usually don't have reason to go to Tipherth, though; it's much too noisy for my liking. If I need something from deeper in the Abyss, I have friends with the authority to use the terminal stones to go anywhere they want. I'll give you my key if you do something for me."

"What do you want?" Hiroko asked.

"Well," he rubbed his neck, still thinking things over. "All right, I'll tell you. Lucifer is well informed of what goes on in Malkuth and Millennium, even about you both. He's spoken to me about you on a few occasions, which led me to do some of my own research into that Messiah project. If I could have worked with the lead scientists of that, well who knows what kind of brilliant breakthroughs would have come of that?  What I'm saying is, I'm curious about you Aleph, and what you're capable of. Normally I work with various aspects of life and death, but someone like you is a real rarity. I'll be happy to give you my key if you let me take a blood sample and a scan of your soul. You seem to be busy so I won't ask for anything more."

Aleph was used to such study, so it seemed like a better deal than trying to find Crowley. But he glanced at Hiroko first. She seemed uncertain. "Well, I'm really not looking forward to dealing with Crowley if he's a creep like that. But what do you mean to do in studying Aleph? There's already been a lot of senseless cruelty around the Messiah Project."

Nebiros shrugged. "I don't have any plans; I'd simply like to see things for myself and study how someone like him came about. You won't be able to see it, but down here in the Abyss, his soul shines unlike any other. It's much like someone brought a miniature sun into our realm. Have you seen the crystals outside that illuminate this land? They usually absorb light from the Abyssal Moon, which itself is a mere reflection of light from Malkuth. But they're reacting to him and are shining much more brightly than normal."

"How do you know that already?" Hiroko asked.

Lifting a hand, he magically called over a small blue crystal. The glow it gave off became stronger as it hovered over. "There's this, for one," he said, offering it to Aleph.

Aleph nodded and took the crystal from him. As soon as he touched it, it started vibrating. Its glow turned to white, overpowering the electric lights Nebiros had in his lab. Aleph put his other hand over it since it was bright enough to be hard to look at; it made his skin glow pink.

"They do react to humans, but never before to that degree," Nebiros said, touching Aleph's hand and looking at the result curiously. "I got word from Tipherth that the town's crystals suddenly intensified and remained that way for a few days. The only change we can track down was that Aleph was there for a brief time, about half an hour in Malkuth's time. From that, I already know that the innate power of his soul is tremendous."

"He is true chaos, undecided as the stone that parts the stream of time," Joker said, somehow delighted in that.

"Will you let me do a quick study of you in exchange for the key onward?" Nebiros asked, looking him eye-to eye.

"Yes," Aleph said.

* * *

One thing that Hiroko never thought could happen was battles with powerful demons feeling so mundane. The Abyss had strange and sometimes indescribable demons wandering around, quick to attack them as they thought the two humans were easy prey. While an initial encounter with a new kind of demon was always tense, further encounters got taken down swiftly. Even when they ran into rulers of various areas, like Tiamat in Hod, a crazy human turned demon named Crowley in Netzach (as much as they'd tried to avoid him), and even the supposedly invincible goddess Hecatate, these battles were nothing like taking on three seraphs at once and then getting jumped by Demiurge. It got to where she forgot particulars about even the tougher battles when she could not forget a second of that battle in the Center.

When they arrived in Tipherth, the sight of a strange town made her sigh with exasperation in her mind, that there would be even more of a bloodbath around here. However, Aleph put his weapon away. "Good," he said.

"These people are peaceful?" Hiroko asked. When he nodded, she said, "Then this must be the place you and Zayin came to. I hope they're still peaceful."

It certainly appeared that way. One of the first who approached them was an armored skeleton. "Oh hey, you! You're the guy that helped bring Siren back to us!" There was a faint charming song in the air.

"Yes," Aleph said.

The skeleton came over and shook Aleph's hand. "Well thanks something mighty for that! Tipherth just isn't the same without Siren around singing. And sorry about sealing the passage, we didn't want any unwelcome humans coming in. But hey, you and your allies are welcome to Tipherth anytime!"

"Thank you," Aleph said.

The town had a lot of services that were familiar, including shops with impressive weapons and armors. Aleph was too fond of Masakado's katana to give it up, but Hiroko was still using her Temple Knight issued weapons and both of them could use better armor if the battles ahead were going to get rougher, or just more numerous. Along with the weapons and armors, there were junk shops, an apothecary, a disco, a bar… there was even a virtuals station down here, being advertised as something novel from Mulkuth.

And there was a Heretic Mansion, where Aleph went in to fuse some of the demons he'd recruited, getting Susano in exchange. He seemed to know what he was doing, even though it took several fusions to get the warrior god. Of course, Aleph couldn't explain it even when the mansion's owner got excited about the results. All he could do was tap his head and shrug.

Then they dropped into the bar, presumably to hear about what was going on. Hiroko knew she'd have to keep an eye on anything Aleph tried to buy; they wouldn't respect restrictions down here. And even though the restrictions on his card were based on a false premise, she'd rather they be respected. However, Aleph's attention immediately went to a man that was at the bar, playing a guitar and singing with a soulful voice. The chatter in the bar was softer than one would expect from the crowd out of wanting to be able to hear him, and with good reason.

Aleph wanted to go talk to the musician. Hiroko had a hunch that nobody would want to talk much while the man was playing, so they headed up to the bar. The odd deer-headed demon behind the bar waved and seemed to smile at Aleph before going back to listening. Once the song was over and some applause went on, Aleph asked, "Louis?"

The musician smiled at him. "Ah, Aleph, you made it down here again. You even found Hiroko, that's good. Want to chat? It's been a while since we've seen each other."

"Okay," Aleph said. There were two empty seats at the bar next to the edge stool that Louis had taken.

"How do you know him?" Hiroko asked. This was another human like Steven and Crowley, so Louis here had to be powerful or different in some way to be down in the Abyss, even in a friendly town like Tipherth.

"We met up in Holytown once and I helped him out with some gossip I'd heard in my travels," Louis said, setting his guitar aside in its black case. "I'd heard that you did find a way to the Abyss to help Siren out; that's wonderful. I ended up a bit too curious and came through the passage you left in the Grand Church to see where it went. However, they sealed up the portal here once Siren came back, so I'm currently stuck here. Unless, is Hecatate gone? I hear I can find a way out if I can get to Yesod."

Hiroko nodded, taking the seat on the other side of Aleph. "Yes, we came in at Yesod, so we had to defeat Hecatate to get here."

Louis raised his eyebrows. "Really? You're both quite strong to have done so. That's good; I can get a friend to help handle the rest of the demons to Yesod, if I don't decide to go on ahead… anyhow, what brings you back to the Abyss?"

"Lucifer," Aleph said.

"What about the demon lord?" Louis asked, curious.

"We're not sure yet," Hiroko said, with Aleph nodding to that. "If you left when they had the portal open in Holytown, well things have gotten crazier ever since."

"Then what's going on up there?" he asked.

There was something about him that put her at ease, maybe that Aleph seemed friendly with him. Hiroko went ahead and told Louis some of what had gone on: how Zayin had decided to work with them to betray the Center, then the Center threatening to cut off the airflow to Holytown, only to have Moloch draining everyone to death once the elders were overthrown. She left out how the elders were really seraphs and that a crazed demon believing itself to be God was also involved. Even if this wasn't Millennium, there were some things to keep quiet about. The demons might take advantage if they overheard some of those things.

"Seems like Mulkuth is in trouble again," the bartender said, passing by them.

"Right, but it's already involving the Abyss," Louis told him. "Abbadon and Moloch, Siren and others." Then he gave a curious look to Aleph, who'd gone still all of a sudden. "Aleph?"

"Mmm." He closed his eyes, then ran out of the bar.

"Aleph?" Hiroko called, hurrying after him. He'd stopped near a large black obelisk; red chains steaming with magic were wrapped around it. It must have been where the other portal had opened up to. "Aleph, what's wrong?"

He put his hands over his face, then pointed off in a direction before covering his face again.

"What's over there?" Hiroko asked. But Aleph didn't seem to want to move from the spot he was in.

For some reason, Louis had grabbed his guitar case and followed them out. "In that direction?" he asked. "There's a shrine where..."

A terrifying roar came from that direction, along with a sound that sounded like someone had destroyed a massive stone with dynamite.

"Where Set is," Louis said, gripping his guitar case protectively.

"Who or what is Set?" Hiroko asked, not recognizing it.

"He's a dragon that is one half of Satan, God's highest judge and executioner," Louis explained. "People have been saying that Set seems to be stirring. The only reason he'd wake up was if the soul of his other half awakened to their true destiny."

The roar came again, from almost directly overhead. Even though these were demons, they were in a panic, going into buildings or just frozen fearfully on the spot. Hiroko herself felt a deep terror at the sound, the barely visible silhouette flying just above them. "What's it doing down here if it belongs to God?"

"From talk around here, it was sealed here for a time when God required Satan to be in the world again," Louis said.

The gusts of wind came down on them as the dragon descended into the street by the Obelisk. Hiroko grabbed Aleph's shoulder, trying to draw him back. But, he wouldn't move until Set clicked as he examined them closely. Aleph pulled his hands away from his face; even by the strange crystal lights here, he looked very pale. Set then growled, its eyes glowing like embers. Before Hiroko could react, Aleph drew his katana and sliced Set across the snout.

Set screeched and blasted Aleph with dark energy that knocked him into the Obelisk. Hiroko quickly got a healing spell on him, intending on pulling him away from this battle. And then, someone set up a magical shield around them; Louis was still there, keeping on the other side of the obelisk from Set. Aleph struck Set again, causing the dragon to repeat the blast. This time, the shield Louis used bounced the attack right back at Set. It screeched again in rage, but decided the battle wasn't worth fighting. It flew off, leaving the town of Tipherth alone.

"Phew, we're lucky it decided to leave," Louis said. "You two all right?"

"I wasn't the one it was focused on, what about you, Aleph?" Hiroko said.

"Mmm," he rubbed his head. He hummed a strange tune for a moment. This time, nothing happened. "Yes. Fine."

"We could go back into the bar to relax a while before you move on," Louis said. Around them, the demons started to quietly see if things were really all right. "Actually, I'd like to ask something of you two. Want to discuss it in there?"

"Okay," Aleph said.

"Sure, that'd be good," Hiroko agreed.

What he had to discuss was where they were going from here. They ordered some drinks and snacks, then went to one of the tables for the discussion. "I've learned some magic to deal with traveling around the underworld, which is where I was playing music before I went into Millennium," Louis said. "But for the most part, I traveled with others and used that magic to support them while they defeated the demons who attacked us. I've made some friends in my time in Tipherth, and I know they're willing to take me to Yesod once they know Hecatate is no longer in the way. But if I can, I would like to go further in to Binah instead. They won't take me that way, though."

"Why's that?" Hiroko asked. "A demon that's stronger than Hecatate?"

"Fourteen of them, actually," Louis corrected. "That's because between here and Binah lies the Fortress of Gemorah. Lord Atavaka is one of Lucifer's vassals, so Atavaka has stationed himself and his own vassals in that key area deeper into the Abyss. His unit is made up of warriors of the Chinese zodiac, plus a cat, and they're all as powerful or more so than Hecatate without the moon's light empowering her." He chuckled at himself. "I have no way to get through there myself, and most of the residents of Tipherth either aren't able to or have no desire to leave their realm of beauty."

"Okay," Aleph said.

"Are you sure about that?" Hiroko asked. "I mean, we have to go through there anyhow to reach Kether. We're both trained to fight demons, and, well sorry, Louis, but you are a musician."

"I do have some talent in magic," Louis said.

Aleph reached over and patted her arm. "Okay," he said, trying to reassure her that he thought it was fine to take another person along.

"You were able to reflect Set's attack, so you could be helpful," Hiroko said. "All right."

Smiling, Louis said, "Thank you very much, I'll make sure I'm not a burden. You see, one of the patrons here asked if I could play over in Binah for someone. I agreed to that without realizing just how difficult it was to reach Binah, but I already gave my word. And with these demons, well, it seems I'm safer to either keep my word or slip out as soon as I can. So I was in quite some trouble with Hectate guarding the other way."

"Abaddon?" Aleph asked.

As Hiroko was wondering why he'd ask about that demon, Louis looked concerned. "Ah yes, and there's him too. We can't reach the passage to Gemorah without going through the area Abbadon lives in. I hear Abaddon can be fickle about letting people get to the passage. It really is tough to get around here."

But as they were heading out to check on the passage, a minotaur walked in. "Excuse me, but you should probably stay inside now," he said. "Abbadon's having some fit." The ground then shook with a tremendous thump, causing someone's glass mug to shatter. "Uh, if we are safe around here."

"Go," Aleph said, then moved past the minotaur and outside. Hiroko and Louis went after him.

To the south of town and past a wooded area near the cliff, a large mass of what seemed like pure muscle or a contorted slug was writhing around. It slowed as something about the air in front of them twisted from nothing to something. A lengthy tendril grew out of Abbadon's distorted body as the rest stilled, growing into an infantile creature with small skin wings. Even stranger, a familiar man stumbled onto the ground, holding a strange device that looked somewhat like a defibrillator.

"Noooo!" Abbadon shrieked from the infantile form. "My meals do not escape me! You will perish here then!"

"Dad?" Hiroko called, drawing her gun.

"Mekata, come!" Aleph called, taking out his sword as well.

"You can't take what's mine!" Abbadon shouted, growing a mass of tentacles from the connection to his main body. When they whipped out to capture them all, Aleph cut through the majority of them before they could hang on. Louis cast a spreading fire spell that caused the rest to flinch back.

Mekata managed to get to his feet and run behind them; he was hurt, so Hiroko made sure to heal him first. "Dad, you just get back to the town!" Hiroko said.

"Right, I'll leave this to you," he said, then headed up the street. Abbadon tried to send more tentacles to capture him, but Aleph and Susano cut those down too, more easily since they were bundled together.

But in the end, it was yet another one of those battles, just with someone new helping them out. As the large distorted mass began to crumble apart, Hiroko said, "You're the demon that swallowed up Valhalla. What happened to everyone else?"

"They're gone, he was being tougher to digest," Abbadon said, having given up. "It's just, I wanted to become an angel again. The seraphs promised that they'd let me come back as I should be. I should've known better, shouldn't have trusted them."

"Dead," Aleph said.

The infantile body brought its tiny arms together. "Huh, the seraphs are already dead? Heh, that's nice. At least I lasted longer than they. I'm afraid this passage is locked; one of the space distortions around here has a key." He then vanished to nothing.

"Are the seraphs dead?" Louis asked, looking at them curiously.

"Three of them are," Hiroko said. "Gabriel apparently defected from their cause and so we left her, but we're not sure what she's planning to do next."

"Hmm, I wonder if their declaration of having a Messiah has stirred everyone up, and that's why so much is happening now," Louis said.

"Mekata," Aleph said, putting his sword away.

"Right, let's go check on him first," Hiroko said. Louis shrugged and went along since he couldn't leave for Binah without them.

Mekata didn't look well when they got to him. He was sitting outside one of the buildings while a couple of elves tried to help him. Now that she had more than a quick look at him, Hiroko noticed that his clothes were coming apart and he had some scars on his skin. "Dad, thank goodness you're alive," she said, going over to his side.

"Hiroko, I'm glad to see you again," he said, smiling up at her. "I should be okay, if I have some time to recover. But, everyone else in Valhalla, they weren't so lucky." He pulled his hands out of the device he had. "I was also lucky that you came when you did. I expected the MAG press to stun him long enough for me to escape, not that he'd take form like that when I did."

"I'm glad it worked out," she said, feeling relieved in some ways. But, not fully. This wasn't going to return them to their normal life before; the world had already shifted too much to return to that yet. Or, maybe ever.

"But I did have something I had to tell you, about you and Aleph," he said, looking down at his hands.

"Dad, I already heard about the Messiah project and all that," she said, getting him to look back over in surprise. "Zayin gave me the files. I'm okay; it was shocking, but I've been looking after Aleph ever since."

"I'm sorry about all that," Mekata said, still grieved over it. "I wronged you both, getting caught up in the science rather than what was right. Even when I tried to make things right, you both got lost to me."

"It's okay, Dad, we'll talk more when you're in better shape," Hiroko said, then looked over at the elves. "Um, may he stay here while he recovers? There's not many places in our world we could take him to be safe."

"Mmm," one of them said, then smiled. "Sure! We'll take good care of him, don't you worry about a thing."

Mekata nodded to them. "Thank you, I can use the terminal stones to get back, once I'm better. I hope we do get some time to talk, as a family."

"Yes," Aleph said, smiling at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason I decided to go with Gedou/Foul for Joker is because he's basically a fusion accident like Slime can be. Also, I apologize for any inconsistencies in the Sepfirah naming scheme of the Abyss here; I used several different resources with several different spelling methods and Tiferet/Tipherth was one I had trouble with.


	14. Paradise of the Abyss

Mekata was okay, which made Aleph a little happier. While Hanada was not a good person in his mind, Mekata had always been nice and helpful. He was good. But so were a lot of other people in Valhalla and now all of them were gone. All the people at the Coliseum, their neighbors on the small island… Okamoto. Okamoto had done a lot for him; he'd trained Aleph well to become a Messiah, even if they didn't realize it at the time. It had hurt a lot to realize that so many people he'd once known were gone in an instant. So while it was nice to have Mekata back, it seemed that no one else could have escaped with him.

And there were people lost when Basilisk and King Frost had been in Holytown. And now that Moloch was there, anyone who'd gone there after he'd defeated those two was also dead. And people who had been in the Factory must have died as well. Thinking back, Aleph recalled how Okamoto had taught him about the past, when the nuclear catastrophe and the Great Flood had wiped out most of the world's population. And now, a small portion of that were survivors to what Demiurge, the seraphs, and Lucifer had done to them.

As Abbadon had said, they couldn't move on because the key to the passage to Gemorah was missing. They had to question the residents of Tipherth about where the key was, which Aleph wasn't good at. That led him to thinking over what had been happening. At one point, there had been billions of people in the world. He'd read about that somewhere. And then it all got reduced to those who lived in Millennium and the underground. And then… that was reduced further. How many people were left in the world?

...was there a point to trying to save them, or was the world so far gone that it and humanity were bound to die off?

That question troubled him, but it wasn't one that he'd thought of himself. No, that had come from Set. Aleph felt a chill on remembering that, much like remembering the aftermath of his battle with Demiurge. He had been in the bar with Mom and Louis. Like before, something about Louis amplified the music in Aleph's mind. As much as he claimed to be just a musician, there was something special about him, an important power. He was Chaos, but a different kind of Chaos than Aleph usually heard. Or, maybe more Chaos than most. He might even be Lucifer if that was the case.

Unfortunately, the way Louis amplified the music meant that Aleph had heard a strange call that seemed like it'd come from far off and yet from every direction. That had been answered by a powerful beat, an omen that he'd felt was overbearing. It made being in the noisy crowded bar awful. Thinking that maybe getting away from Louis would help, he'd fled the building. But that didn't help. Once he heard Set's power, there was no escaping it.

It grew and grew, a tune he was familiar with but had never truly noticed until it was there blaring out every other possibility. By the time Hiroko and Louis got out to him, it had been deafening, not letting Aleph think at all. It made him feel under intense spotlights even in the dark of the Abyss, like he was being examined over every inch of himself. Without having heard it from Louis, he knew this was the highest judge in all existence; he just hadn't realized it was actually only one half of said judge.

Then Set's voice filled his mind. "Foolish innocent child, you have been found wanting. You are not worthy of bearing the mantle of the Messiah. But since you have managed to go beyond your reach and take it, answer me this: what will you choose to do as Messiah? And can you fulfill your choice's demands? Or will you fail and cause everyone to perish needlessly and painfully?

"And do your actions matter at all? Humanity has been decimated, almost thoroughly destroyed. How can you save the world when there is so little left to save? This world is sick and lost, wrong to its very core. I can feel that in my blood. Are you humans worthy of being saved? Are you worthy of being saved, Aleph?"

Aleph had attacked out of panic then, wanting to get away from this judgment. He knew Set would destroy him for an answer it did not like, or for getting no answer at all. Thankfully, standing up to Set was enough to drive the dragon away. And now that he had some time of not doing things, Aleph ended up thinking about all the questions Set had had.

They were all such unpleasant questions, though. If the world was worth saving. If he was worth saving. But then, Yuji had told him that those who stood against him would try to discourage him. They'd want him to give in to them. Aleph had the ability to change the world, though, and he could make it better. Continuing on might get tougher, but someone had to change things. Someone had to make things better. And if he could, he might as well be that someone.

"Aleph, were you listening in?" Hiroko asked.

"No," he said. "Sorry."

"It's fine," she said. "According to the residents, there are a number of space-time distortions scattered across this region of the Abyss. Some of them were caused by Abaddon's power, others were made by similar demons. These pockets are like rooms without a building, as Louis says. So the key could be in any of these little rooms since Abbadon said nothing more about which one it was. No one we spoke to knows anything more about where."

"They were able to tell us that one of the pockets is much larger than the others," Louis said. "It's large enough to have gained its own town, which does have some of these folks worried. So we could look into over a dozen small rooms, or this one large one with the town."

"The larger one might be more useful with a town potentially in it," Hiroko said.

"Okay," Aleph said.

One of the skeleton warriors went with them to show where the large pocket was. They were similar to the holes he'd encountered in the Factory mines, but in the air rather than in the floor. As the dark of the Abyss wasn't the curse of darkness, they could see the holes as sparkling swirls hanging in the air. The large hole didn't actually look large enough for a town. However, it was on a hill that ended abruptly in a slimy darkness that reminded him of the gap left behind by Abaddon eating Valhalla.

They could walk inside much like going into a doorway. What they found inside was nothing like the Abyss, though. This was a sterile white room, much like those in the Center. Lined up along the walls, there were dozens of machines much like the recovery vats. Or more accurately, like the transporters into Arcadia. A myriad of electronic hums surrounded them.

"I thought they said this was a town?" Hiroko said, sounding unnerved.

Aleph went over to one of the vats and hovered his hand over the input pad. With some guidance he got the vat to identify its inhabitant. Tomas Tank, a former Tournament Champion and a resident of Arcadia. "Arcadia," he said.

"This place doesn't suit that name at all," Louis said, looking over the vats himself.

"Mmm." Aleph couldn't explain that himself, even if he could talk properly. This place was only like the portal to Arcadia, not Arcadia itself. But, this man was a resident of Arcadia. And so was the woman by him, and the woman next to her…

As they were searching around, the vat at the back of the room hissed in releasing its inhabitant. Aleph turned to it in time to see a hidden seam shift aside, letting out a familiar man. Gimmel's clothes seemed more wrinkled than Aleph was used to seeing and his hair was matted messily. "Hello Messiah," he said in a way that made Aleph uncomfortable. "I suppose I should congratulate you for making it this far into the Abyss. But, I didn't expect you to drop in at this place."

"Who are you?" Hiroko asked defensively. It seemed she didn't like him already.

"Gimmel," Aleph said.

He nodded. "Yes, I am Gimmel, the lead programmer and administrator of Arcadia."

"Isn't Arcadia an area up in Millennium?" Louis asked.

"Yes and no," Gimmel said. "Arcadia is an area in Millennium, but it's not actually there. Much is what is physically up there is the machinery that keeps the rest of Millennium safe and habitable. The place we're in right now is also Arcadia, the physical side of things."

"What are you talking about?" Hiroko asked.

Aleph could understand it now. "Illusion."

"I believe you've got it," Gimmel said. "This is the truth of Arcadia. All residents have their bodies stored here. What they see, and what you see when you visit the district, is all an illusion. A dream of paradise, if you will. Everyone is happy here; I make sure of that."

"Do they know they're living like this?" Hiroko asked. "It seems drastic."

"Dire times like ours often call for drastic measures," Gimmel said. "I have kept them safe from everything's that happened in the rest of Millennium. Most of them are not aware of the specifics, but they all have signed forms of consent agreeing that once they move into Arcadia, they will not leave. And as far as they're concerned, it does not matter. They're living in a perfect beautiful world where they don't have to care about anything."

"But you're living in the Abyss," she said. "Why is this part of Arcadia down here?"

"If you must know, this space-time pocket in the Abyss was claimed by Millennium long before I existed," Gimmel said. "You are aware that the seraphs were in control of Millennium as the elders. What you likely don't know is that they had several plans going before they decided to push ahead with you. They took things rather too hastily in that regards."

"Then why didn't you do anything about it?" Hiroko asked.

"What?" Aleph asked.

Gimmel smiled a bit. "That's precisely what I was thinking: what could I have done about it? I became aware of our true situation not long after I was given life. It wasn't that hard to figure out from the fragmented memories I began with, and the lack of good evidence of myself existing for very long. But by the time I reasoned that out and found evidence of the truth in the lab, Aleph was already gone. I attempted to confront the elders about it, but as I'm sure you're aware, they didn't like being challenged. But in my case, they gave me Arcadia to direct."

"And you let them distract you with that, then," Hiroko said.

"My my, no need to be hostile," Gimmel said. "I assure you, I have no intentions of harming others or stepping on their toes."

"But you have yourself based down here in the Abyss, which the demons see as their own," Louis said.

For a moment, Gimmel glanced over at the musician like he'd forgotten that he was there. Then he looked back to Aleph and Hiroko. "As I was saying, this pocket of space-time was claimed for Arcadia before I existed. The demons weren't using it, for one thing. For another, you see, the world before Millennium was built was considered to have a mundane character. The growth of reason and science led to this, as humans could explain more and more about the world without resorting to the involvement of other beings.  Natural magic was a rarity, ensuring that demons had a difficult time existing there.

"But it also meant that the seraphs had a difficult time existing in the world. We humans were left to our own devices, which may have ultimately lent itself to our own undoing. But in the desperation of the times after the great catastrophe of nuclear war, people built structures that allowed for magic to be reintroduced into the world. The Great Temple of Gaea and the Grand Cathedral of the Mesians were both such places where beings of spirit like demons and angels could act freely. However, the temple got washed away in the Flood and the Cathedral collapsed in on itself due to an earthquake not long after the flood waters retreated."

"How does that all explain this place?" Hiroko asked, making Aleph worry some. Did she not like his friend? But this was strange and Aleph wasn't sure if he'd be happy shut up in an illusion for the rest of his life. What was right?

"It is a part of the explanation," Gimmel said patiently. "Sorry if I didn't say it was quite lengthy. But think about it. This is a space made separate from the rest of the Abyss, yet it is still a part of the Abyss. The Abyss is a realm of spirits, thus it has no mundane aspect for them to worry about. One can fuse spirits together to form new ones, as is often done with the Heretic Mansion. And a demon can fuse with a human; it has been done before. So why not attempt to fuse one space with another? That would introduce an environment more suitable for the supernatural."

"Wait, but why the Abyss if it was angels behind this?" she asked.

"Mostly because if things went wrong, it wasn't in their territory," Gimmel said. "And things did go wrong. This pocket of the Abyss does connect directly into the quarter where Arcadia is said to be. As a result of that, the space within Millennium began to lose its mundane character. Ultimately, that was what they were after, but they had to seal off the Arcadia passage so demons couldn't use it."

"But we walked right through here, so the demons could come upon your people here," Hiroko said.

He held a hand up to that. "That is because I detected Aleph approaching. He really does stand out down here. Normally if demons try to come in, they enter into Arcadia as the residents see it. But they're only given a small bit of space to see the paradise we've built here; they aren't capable of going any further in. When I saw that you were coming in, I opened up the passage for you to come to the back rooms of Arcadia, so to speak."

"So Arcadia is an illusory dream where humans live outside their bodies, but within a space that is both in Tipherth and Malkuth," Louis said.

Again, Gimmel only gave Louis a brief bit of attention before losing it again. "Yes, at this time, it may be the only place where somewhere like Arcadia can exist." He shrugged, but was smiling. "I'm well aware that the elders have been trying to distract me, but it was such a fascinating challenge that I couldn't resist. So many people have claimed that utopia is impossible, but why must it be? With their needs and safety fully assured, with all reason for conflict reduced to near nothing, with nothing to make them suffer, they want for nothing. I've achieved a utopia of happiness here; it's almost a shame that the elders were not around when I finished.

"But then, I'm also glad that they're gone because they've made far too many terrible mistakes. One would think that because they're angels, and such high-ranking ones at that, that they'd know better. But they called upon a false god who ultimately made things worse for everyone. And most of all you, dear Aleph." He came over and put a hand on Aleph's shoulder.

"Hang on, how can you call this utopia when these people are all hooked up into computers like, like..." she got frustrated a bit at not finding what she wanted to say, so skipped it to say, "well they're living in a fantasy of utopia, a dream that doesn't really exist. It's living a lie, much like you four in the Messiah Project were with the implanted memories."

Gimmel frowned briefly, but calmed himself to look at her. "It seems to me that everyone in Millennium was living a lie. They were content to lose themselves in work and play to ignore the fact that the world outside Millennium will need centuries to be properly inhabitable again. But while they ignored it, they certainly knew the truth from the daily demon reports and records of the past. So if they were escaping in the first place, why not give them a true utopian sanctuary to escape to? And given all that has gone on lately in Millennium, it seems that my wards here in Arcadia were truly the safest of them all."

What all had gone on, with everyone dying. "Mmm," Aleph said, closing his eyes trying to keep calm too.

"Well why should you perpetuate lies and leave your wards all to be vegetables?" Hiroko asked. She definitely didn't like this.

"I assure you, I take very good care of them, like a father takes care of his children," Gimmel said. Then his grip tightened and Aleph felt a brief disorientation.

When he opened his eyes, he was in a similar hall, but without Hiroko and Louis. "Mom?" he asked, worried now.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Gimmel said soothingly. "I've closed up the entrance to this place again so that we're safe. Sorry about the sudden transport, but I was getting a strong feeling that she was going to shut down our little talk too early and insist you both leave."

"Mmm." But what about Louis? It was odd that Gimmel apparently forgot entirely about him.

"She has such a strong will," Gimmel said. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since she found her bearings quickly after escaping the yoke of the Factory. Arcadia ended up taking in many of those released from the Factory in what you did, and they still need a great deal of assurance from the others that they can relax here." He released Aleph and put his hand to his chin. "And I can tell that she cares about you a great deal, loves you as your mother. In these circumstances, I can't blame her for being protective of you. It's fine if you wish to take care of her, but take caution not to let her will hold too much of a sway over your own."

"Mom… good," he said.

Gimmel nodded. "Yes, I agree with that, she is a good person. She's simply not trying to understand what I'm doing here. If she could experience Arcadia for itself, she might just change her mind. But, this isn't the time for that."

Feeling glad that Gimmel could accept Hiroko even if she didn't want to accept him, Aleph nodded. "Key. Gemorah."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh, is that what you're here for? I suppose you must be after Abbadon's key."

"Yes," he said, since that was who told them the passage on was locked.

"That's peculiar," Gimmel said. "As I understand it, the locks between the parts of the Abyss are a new thing, though I couldn't get out of the demons why exactly. But there should be multiple keys, as multiple demons have permission to move freely from one sphere to another. I suspect that it's one of their ploys. In the past month, they've greatly added to the confusion in Millennium with false messages and orders, mostly to make the seraphs look bad. I do have Abaddon's key, though."

"Please?" Aleph asked.

He smiled and caused the key to appear in his hand. "Of course." He handed it over, but kept hold of his hand for a moment. "I'll give you this freely, but I request some more time to speak with you. There are things I've been wanting to tell you, sometimes for a long time. But as Hiroko, good she may be, was interfering with our talk, I had to bring you over here for some privacy. And if you think I'm misunderstanding you, don't hesitate to stop me. We'll figure out a way to communicate, for even the deaf and the blind have found such ways."

"Okay," he said. "What?"

"First, I must admit that Hiroko did see immediately to things that many others haven't," he said, then gestured to the vats around them. "This is indeed all lies. Lies within lies, even the angels would lie. They lie to demons to use them, they lie to us humans to control us, and they even lie to themselves, although I cannot comprehend why they go so far. In fact, my discovery that I was an artificial humanoid was only the beginning for me. I kept searching for the truth, but only found lies covering up lies, based on more lies. As such, I came to the conclusion that everyone from humans to humanoids to angels to demons, we're all delusional.

"And delusions sprout from sickness, even from the process of dying. Did you know, there's a state called euphoria which describes a feeling of lightness and joy as a person is dying. If everyone is delusional, wrapped within their lies, it indicates some sickness that goes beyond an individual level. And I thought, are the delusions we accept and even pursue a result of the world itself slowly dying from all that has occurred to it?"

"Bad," Aleph said, feeling sad about that. That could explain why so many people were dying all around him. But, he had chosen to be the Messiah. He needed to save the world. But, how? He needed to save the world from a sickness that hurt everyone.

Gimmel nodded seriously. "But it's not something I can talk about freely with other people. Most of them wouldn't believe me. It's a terrible premonition to live under. No matter what I researched, it only seemed clearer that a slow death of the world was the actual truth. That is, as long as we're still neglecting to think of the world. And that leads into why I am so devoted to Arcadia, why I love this place even if it is yet another bundle of lies."

"What?" he asked.

He walked up to one of the vats, smiling now. "What I'm about to tell you may seem complicated, but it's something people do all the time. Arcadia is a place of illusions; it is based on lies. But then, it's also a real place. There is a truth that Arcadia does exist. Now that may be a truth that only holds with those who are here, who live within Arcadia and believe it to be true. But belief is a powerful force, able to make truth out of lies.

"For instance, the seraphs believed they had brought God to them. That was a lie since they actually brought out Demiurge. But then, he is an aspect of God, one tied to a system of belief that was a tangent of the mainline beliefs that eventually became the core of the Church of the Messiah. So it is true that they did indeed call God to them. At the same time, it is false that they called God to them. And they believed in that powerfully until Gabriel stopped believing it. So in their view, they had called upon the true God."

"What?" Aleph said, confused by this idea of something being true and false at the same time. That shouldn't be possible. But, Gimmel was very smart. If anyone could see how such a thing could work, it would be him.

"If you had faced Demiurge when Gabriel still believed in him, it would have been a more difficult battle," Gimmel said. "Arcadia is a truth and a falsehood, a reality and a dream. But here's the thing: all of the people who live there are happy and safe. That is undeniable. And if that statement becomes false, I do all that I can to address the problem to restore the truth. In fact, Arcadia may be a better solution to humanity's current predicaments than Millennium itself is. We can protect humanity within this dream until the world has been healed and we can safely go back out into it."

"Mmm," Aleph put his hand to his head, trying to find a word that would encompass the question he wanted to ask. Questions, actually, there was a lot more he wanted to know.

Gimmel turned back to him. "But just a bit ago, I was talking about the world being delusional, possibly with the euphoria of it dying. That is something I worry about, but it's not what I want to believe in. I want to believe that we can save the world and make things better. I want to believe that by experiencing an actual utopia in Arcadia, that people will want to remain within such a society even when they are released back into the world. And you, as the Messiah, are the one who can make such beliefs into the truth. You are the one who can save the world from itself."

"Yes," he said, feeling better for it. Gimmel was talking about confusing things, but if it all ultimately meant that he wanted things to be better too, then it was fine.

"Wonderful, I knew I could believe in you," Gimmel said with a smile. "I would like to keep Arcadia out of all this conflict, as a sanctuary to keep the people here safe. And I have been recruiting others in Millennium to join us, those who wanted to find refuge from all the insanity going on there. I had to open up a large expansion to our town and put the newcomers into a training program so they know how Arcadia works, but the vaults here were ready for this expansion and much more than that already. So then, I can count on you to take care of things in the world while I keep the people here safe from all harm?"

"Yes," Aleph said, feeling relieved of that worry. It was unfortunate how many had already died. But they could save whoever they could and make the world better for all of them.

"Good, then there's one last thing I'd like to tell you," he said, patting Aleph's shoulder. "It's about Beth."

"Mmm, gone," Aleph said. He still wondered why his miracles couldn't save her.

"She doesn't have to be gone for good," Gimmel said.

"What?" he asked. She had told him that people didn't come back after they died. But, maybe there was a way?

"She is..." he paused. "Actually, those of us who are artificial humanoids like all of us in the Messiah Project are a different case than natural humans. We were purposely designed, and so, all of our data is stored within the Center's database. Beth cannot be revived from the injury she took in the Coliseum. However, she can be reconstructed anew from the designs she was built from. In the elder's last days, my permission to access such records was revoked. But I have managed to get back in. The biotechnology lab is still in good shape, so I can give her a rebirth."

"Good," Aleph said, smiling at that. Since Daleth was much nicer now, maybe they could all get together as the friends they should be if Beth was back.

"There are a few issues in doing so, I admit," Gimmel said. "It would be difficult to reclaim her memories of the time she actually spent with you; letting her recall her own death would be traumatic. And I am aware that the false memories she had were causing some friction between you when you should have gotten along perfectly with each other. As such, it may be best to bring her back with a blank memory. Are you okay with that?"

That would be tough, since he couldn't even tell her of the things they'd done together. But it would bring her back. "Yes."

He nodded. "Good, then I'll get to work on that. Once she is reborn, I will transfer her immediately into Arcadia to keep her safe. Beth was meant to support you even in battle, yes, but bringing her back with a blank memory will mean that she has no experience in such situations. But you are basically halfway through the Abyss already. I'm sure you'll locate Lucifer soon and settle these matters for good."

"Okay," Aleph said.

"Then let's get back," Gimmel said, taking his arm so he could transport them back to the first hallway. "Hello, we're back," he said to Hiroko. Oddly enough, Louis wasn't in sight; Aleph could still sense him nearby, though.

"What was that for?" Hiroko asked angrily.

"Mom, okay," Aleph said, going over and trying to calm her down.

"There were some things I needed to speak to him about," Gimmel said. "As I said, I mean neither of you harm. In fact, I will welcome you directly into Arcadia if you would want to see how it is for yourself. Now, we've discussed matters and I've given him the key you need to move ahead. Do be careful as you go into the deeper regions of the Abyss. The demons of darkness and chaos are always unreasonable, but they keep out of Tipherth for the most part. They will be much more numerous and powerful ahead."

Hiroko closed her eyes briefly, then said, "I still think Arcadia is a bunch of bad ideas, but thank you for helping us."

"You're welcome," Gimmel said kindly.

"Louis!" Aleph called out after he'd stepped away from the other two. For some reason, that confused them.

Fortunately, he came back into the hall right away. "I'm sorry, I just got curious about things," he said with a smile. "Are we ready to head on?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

* * *

Once they were gone and the entrance to the Abyss was again secure, Gimmel looked over the vats of the dreamers who inhabited his utopia. Lies upon lies… and every truth was tarnished by lies and guesses. He felt a little jealous of these dreamers, and of Aleph too. They saw what they saw and took it for truth because it was what they saw. Unlike them, he could not be content merely with what he saw and what he was told. He needed to know more of things. And thus, he fell into an abyss of his own, layer after layer of lies and he still didn't know how deep he'd end up when he finally found the bedrock of truth. Or if he'd ever find such a thing.

These dreamers were happy with accepting truth in what they saw. Aleph was troubled in some way, but he was quickly reassured and seemed positive still. Gimmel had to take the lies he saw and heard, accept them graciously even when they tormented him when he was alone. Still, he did want to believe in Aleph. No, he did believe in Aleph. He knew he could make things better.

But would he? Without the foundation of knowing himself, Aleph was a leaf being blown about by whoever was currently talking to him. His mother did indeed have a strong influence over him, which was why Gimmel had to get Aleph separate from her. Hiroko didn't approve of Arcadia, possibly due to superstitions and this area being her first look at it. If she'd been allowed to, she could have convinced Aleph that it was bad and get him to shut down Arcadia entirely. After all, Aleph had an uncanny intuition when it came to computers. If he was put at the administrator controls of Arcadia and told to do something without being told how, he'd probably find a way to do it. Gimmel doubted that Aleph truly understood what he was capable of. In watching him, it was clear that being able to command miracles without being able to understand them made for an extremely dangerous and unpredictable person.

Now, if only he had been able to resurrect Beth faster, to send her with Aleph to steer him back towards founding the thousand-year reign of God... that would ensure that Arcadia's utopia became true utopia, all throughout the world. It might even be better since the delusional seraphs were out of the picture, unable to ruin what should be perfection. But he did not wish to repeat their folly and hurry along things that shouldn't be hurried. Beth needed to be revived in a stable and healthy state, one that could anchor Aleph better than Hiroko was currently doing.

At least he'd convinced Aleph that, no matter who he ended up following, he should leave Arcadia alone.

"Excuse me, I've come about your taxes," an unfamiliar voice said from just behind him.

That should be… Gimmel turned around and found a demon there. He seemed to be a man dressed in elaborate robes like a church official, but he had the face of an owl. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Lucifuge, one of the highest officials in the Abyss," the owl-faced man said. "Oh, but don't worry, I am not violent at all. I am merely here about your taxes, since your town inhabits a space within the Abyss. Now then," he opened up the book he had for a reference.

This was unfortunate. Opening up this doorway to speak with Aleph had allowed this demon to slip inside. But, at least it was Lucifuge. Gimmel had long ago made plans should this demon try to intrude on Arcadia. "Hold a moment," Gimmel said, taking on a friendly tone to cover over how serious and prepared he was for this encounter. "If we are going to negotiate about the existence of Arcadia and its relation to the Abyss, I would like to do so in a peaceful, reasonable, and, most of all, legal manner in accords with the legal systems of our area."

"Certainly," Lucifuge said, being equally cordial.

"So are there any other demons in here with you?" Gimmel said. He'd already gotten an answer from the earbud speaker attached to his terminal: there were none. But this needed to be clear.

"No, it is only myself," he said.

"Good, then let's discuss this matter like gentleman," he said, his arguments at hand.

"Indeed," Lucifuge said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In video games, especially RPGs I find, there tends to be battles there just for the sake of having another battle, like here with Gimmel. It's the way of the medium, so I tend to forgive that. But turning this into fanfic, I feel like Gimmel is more likely to do this: use his connection to Aleph to convince him to leave Arcadia alone. Now whether or not that happens depends on what Aleph decides on, but that's later.


	15. Morning Star

Thirteen golden weapons lay along the ground of a dark starry space. Old blood stains could be seen in spite of their polished gleam; new blood was still drying underneath them, signs that their owners had been slain. In the center of them, Aleph stopped running. A foreboding music was playing in his mind.

They had not yet defeated Atavaka; Hiroko and Louis both had been tired after taking on the entirety of Gemorah's fortress and its guardians, so they had returned to the small town in the center of it to sleep. Hiroko had kept everyone healthy, using magic attacks when needed. Louis had mostly sped things along, able to bless and curse whoever he wished with all kinds of mysterious effects. However, it had been Aleph who had done much of the killing. One of the guardians had fallen to just one of Aleph's attacks.

"There is nowhere you can run, forsaken child," Demiurge's voice said from the darkness.

Aleph tensed; the voice moved around too quickly for him to know where it was coming from.

"You bloodstained and forsaken child," Demiurge said hatefully. The weapons began to float upward, dripping with blood. Demons didn't bleed, not like humans unless they were human-like. "Do you even know why you fight? Tell me, why do you fight?"

Looking up, he had a feeling he was looking into something vast that he could not properly see. This was a false god. But, it was powerful enough to be mistaken for a real god. "Mmm, Messiah."

The cruel laughter made him cringe in pain. "You still believe in those lies? Fine, then why are you the Messiah? You were granted the gift of miracles, but you failed to do anything good with it. You were created to be the pinnacle of mankind and its science, but you are damaged and useless. You were given the gift of life artificially, and you have become a bringer of death. Tell me, what of that makes you the Messiah?"

Had he truly failed to do anything good, only to bring death to the world? But, no. He'd killed many demons, but he'd refused to kill humans unless they turned into demons. That had to count. Didn't it? But, so many in Millennium had already died: those swallowed up by Abaddon, those killed by King Frost, Basilisk, Betelgeuse, and many other demons, and those that were dying and already dead because of Moloch and Kuzuryu… Kuzuryu wasn't even fully awake yet. The blood covered the floor in this space, the lives of so many lost unfairly. He would make things better. But, they shouldn't have gotten so bad.

"What do you mean to do as the Messiah?" Demiurge asked. The ring of hovering weapons began to glow.

"What?" Aleph asked, trying to find it in the darkness beyond.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Demiurge asked, getting impatient. "Do you have any goals other than that which other people have given you? Hmph, do you even have the capacity to make your own goals and decisions beyond what seems good for the moment? A Messiah is meant to not just save the world, but to provide a future for it. Who thought it was a good idea to leave such a responsibility to a thoughtless bloodthirsty child?"

"You," he said. The Messiah Project had been the result of Demiurge and the seraphs.

There was a laugh and the presence around him shifted; the song of it was different. The golden blood-stained weapons began to gather at a point Aleph faced. "That is who haunts your nightmares?" the voice asked, shifting away from Demiurge's voice. A man of many arms and many faces emerged, claiming the thirteen weapons. "You truly are a forsaken child, you so-called Messiah. I wonder what your thoughts truly are in all this. Does your soul struggle to hold onto innocence? Or was it already shattered well before you had the capacity to deal with the real world, much less with the legacy you have been trying to claim?"

"Atavaka?" he guessed.

"Yes, that is I," he said. "Now that it is clear that you are tormented by nightmares caused by the very being that brought you into being, I feel I should make things clearer to you, one who cannot realize the grand scale that one stands upon. You can go running back to Gabriel if you so please, and join her in her efforts to wipe out all that makes humanity what it is, to make a new world where perhaps you will fit in properly, as damaged and possibly innocent as you are. However, your soul will remain forever haunted by the false God that blessed and cursed you in unequal measures.

"Or, you can advance to meet with Lucifer, and join him to save the world from the indiscriminate destruction that Gabriel will cause with Satan on the true God's behalf. This will also lead to a new world, where humans and demons live together for each other's sake. But even so, Demiurge will still haunt your soul. Not only that, but you will very likely become cursed by the true God as well, to suffer and remain a forsaken child forever, no matter how you are reborn. No matter who you go listen to at this point, your soul's fate is dire and dark, such as this place.

"But, there is another way." Atavaka poured power into his thirteen weapons, making them clean and gleaming once again. "I can put an end to your accursed soul forever, here and now. And I can do it in such a way that you will be freed of your curse to return to the cycle of human souls for a fresh start, without the handicaps that keep you from ever experiencing a normal life. So then, what will you choose?"

What will you choose…

With no more change than that, he felt like he was back to facing Set in the street of Tipherth. No, not quite. He was faced with a lesser judge, one who offered him death as a choice. The music here was very different but it judged just the same: ruthlessly to standards he didn't know. With the offer of death as a matter of solving a problem…

Aleph drew his sword and attacked Atavaka. "No!"

"That does not answer the question!" Atavaka shouted, swinging four weapons at him at once. Aleph got out of all but a hammer swing. "If you cannot properly speak for yourself, then the best answer is to allow yourself to perish!"

"No," Aleph said. He was alone here, without any way to heal. But he wasn't about to give up. He needed to survive this dream, to get back to his mother, and eventually to Mekata as he was family too. So he would not let Atavaka kill him.

No matter how injured he became.

When he woke up, he felt even worse than he had when he'd gone to bed. He wasn't bleeding, but he was covered in bruises. Aleph tried to get up, but found it much too hard to move. While he tried to be tough, some tears got out as it was so bad.

There was a knock on the door. "Aleph?" Hiroko called.

"Mom," he said, although even his voice felt hurt.

"I hope you don't mind me coming in," she said before opening the door. When she got in far enough to see the state he was in, she rushed over. "Aleph? What happened to you?"

"Atavaka," he said quietly. He tried to move his hands and found that his right was holding onto something.

"Atavaka? When did you get out to fight him?"

"What's going on?" Louis asked, coming in to check on them.

Hiroko put a hand near him, seemingly not sure of touching him like this. "I don't know, but he needs a healer right away! I don't know if I can focus on this..."

"Actually, it'd be faster if you let me handle this," Louis said, touching his collarbone. A strange swirl of white wrapped around him impossibly fast before settling around a person who seemed even more angelic than the seraphs, with longer hair but the same golden blond color, twelve white wings on his back, and a look of complete purity. The only thing that really hinted at a possible difference was the long curling horns on his head. He waved his hand and folded the blanket off Aleph. "Would you take the key from his hand?"

"Are you…?" Hiroko started to ask, hesitant on trusting him now.

There was a very pure tune around him, albeit one that matched the Abyss. "Please, we shouldn't delay with him like this."

"All right," she said, taking the key out of Aleph's hand and staying seated on the edge of his bed.

"It has the potential to interfere," he said, then drifted over and placed his hands over Aleph's chest. A warm white glow came off his hands, tinged with red at the edges.

But the magic filled him with a strange chill, like he'd walked back into King Frost's domain. It numbed all the pain out quickly, although he felt stiff from the cold. When the cold was withdrawn, it took all the pain and bruising with it. Aleph felt fine then, if cold still. He pulled the blanket back around himself to warm up as he sat up in the bed.

"To answer your question, yes, I am the demon lord Lucifer," he said. "That key will let us use Gemorah's exit, thus he must have defeated Atavaka in the realm of dreams somehow. That takes an extraordinary will to perform, even if the cost of doing so was quite painful."

"But what were you doing traveling around with us as an ordinary human?" Hiroko asked.

"To be frank, I was deeply concerned about Aleph becoming a threat to us inhabitants of the Abyss," Lucifer said. "You are a strong woman, Hiroko, but Aleph is on a whole different level from every other human alive, even compared to his supposed twin in Daleth. But don't worry about the demons you have defeated on your way this deep into the Abyss. It is normal to gain respect here by fighting many battles and winning your way on a trek across the lands. They will come back with time and have a higher opinion of you when they do, which of course means they might wish to battle you again. Many of them do not have an understanding that to humans, death is final and absolute."

"If that's the case, then what was worrying you?" she asked.

"At first, I was worried that he was the other half of Satan," Lucifer said, remaining hovering where he was. "Satan is God's personal means of vengeance and judgment, thus he has the ability to end nearly any demon for good. He was the one who last sealed me away, preventing me from doing anything in Malkuth or the Abyss. We were lucky he didn't decide to destroy all of the Abyss then. But it was clear from how you and Set reacted to each other that it was not the case.

"After that point, I wished to test you to see what your true power was. That was why I restricted myself and traveled with you as Louis through here. There is something I would like to get done in Binah, but we can take care of that in a while. I hadn't given Atavaka any particular ideas or orders on how to test you. In the world of dreams, you wouldn't have died in a battle like that. But it seems you had no will to lose either. It must have been quite difficult to defeat him that way."

"Yes," Aleph said. But he'd won and now he didn't hurt at all.

Lucifer then clasped his hands together. "Now, I know that Gabriel sent you down here to kill me, but even you must be aware that things are not as they seem with Millennium. I would like to share with you both what I know of the situation. The time remaining before we must do something is short, though. Would you allow me to explain things?"

"Okay," Aleph said. He was meant to destroy demons, but what if that was something Demiurge had put into his mind? It should be fine to let the demons explain themselves first; some of them were very nice and helpful.

He smiled gratefully at that. "Thank you. You see, I've been traveling around in the guise of Louis ever since shortly before the vast nuclear war that ravaged the Earth nearly a century ago. That's when I was summoned out of the imprisoning seal by a man named Gotou. Around the same time, the seraphs entered the world and began their work in the world. They were eventually defeated by Kazuya and his friends, but their souls persisted until they could work within the world again.

"In the time that the seraphs were building Millennium, I began to notice something curious: they were not working in accordance to God's will. There is a plan for building a thousand year kingdom of peace through all of existence, but the society they set up was built around the domination and enslavement of humanity. Humans were to choose God's ways of their own free will for the kingdom to come to pass, not be forced into them like most of Millennium."

"Three of them did seem convinced that they were doing God's work," Hiroko said. "Gabriel claimed to have heard from the true God, though."

Lucifer nodded. "Yes. For some reason, God has stopped talking with them. It's not clear why; I had wondered if it was because of their loss at the Great Cathedral, but I suspect now that he's been silent with them for longer than that. It's a maddening torment to an angel still bound to the will of God; I know that myself. Their wishful thoughts for His presence back with them led to the birth of the Demiurge you defeated. It believed it was YHVH and tried to act accordingly.

"As I knew the true YHVH would not be able to stand such an imposter, I figured I would keep myself and other residents of the Abyss out of the conflict. All demons that live within the Abyss were disowned or cursed by God, and I took it upon myself as the first to take care of the others. I felt it was safer to keep everyone away while God took care of His imposter and the wayward seraphs Himself.

"But in the end, it was you both who took down the three seraphs and Demiurge. That is what made me suspect Aleph of being Satan; using their own artificially created Messiah against them seems very like what they would do. Even though it's a relief that he isn't, the problem still remains that if Set is active, then his other half is surely in the world. Satan judges everyone: human, angel, demon, entire worlds. And the signs have been clear that the last is what he intends to do this time. The prospect for the people of Millennium, the world, and the Abyss is not good this time around. He won't be satisfied with only sealing me away again."

"What do you think he means to do?" Hiroko asked.

"Actually, I know what they mean to do," Lucifer said, sounding sad and worried. "I have heard from God myself this time, which was very much a shock since I thought He'd abandoned all hope for me long ago. But His orders..." he put a hand to his cheek, "He proved to me that He has a powerful hold over the Abyss still and could wipe it out Himself in mere seconds, when I had spent so long making it into a pleasant refuge for the lost. Thousands of years went into this place, made even tougher because some residents are natural-born enemies of each other and it's often up to me alone to keep what peace is possible. So when God ordered me to use Moloch to awaken Kuzuryu, I had to obey even though that itself is a danger to my people."

"So you were right, Aleph," Hiroko said, glancing at him.

"Bad," he said.

Lucifer nodded. "Kuzuryu is a many-headed dragon that exists in both the world and the Abyss at the same time. Its awakening will damage much of what its body lies near in both realms. Once given enough power, Kuzuryu is meant to rampage across the face of the Earth. Nothing was said about the Abyss, but I don't doubt that the dragon will also be turned against us. Furthermore, some of my spies have discovered something about the Center. They have been building a replica of Eden within a spaceship at the very top of Millennium and plan to take a chosen few humans into space to avoid the destruction."

"A spaceship?" Hiroko asked in surprise. "I know Millennium exists under a giant pyramid shell, but how do they go about hiding an entire spaceship being constructed?"

"The entirety of Millennium was about controlling humanity," he reminded her. "Thus keeping secrets from its citizens was a trivial matter, even for such a large-scale project. But there is further trouble with the Eden spaceship. They have constructed a fearsome weapon inside it called the Megiddo Cannon which will be capable of piercing through the world into the Abyss. It will be no mere banishing such as what most demons expect, but complete annihilation of the soul for beings of the spirit like us.

"There will be nowhere to hide from the Megiddo Cannon except in the ark of Eden itself. Even Kuzuryu will perish. And this time, they have made sure that Eden is small and limited. Many of us who were not chosen by God, including myself, escaped the Second Great Flood by hiding within their enormous cathedral, so they made sure not to make the same mistake twice."

"When?" Aleph asked, actually having a number of questions in that.

"Kuzuryu could be awakened within a day," Lucifer said. "Eden too is ready to take off from the world and will likely do so tomorrow. However, there is a chance for all this to be stopped even in that brief time. It may have been under God's orders, but I can take back control of Kuzuryu, calm it down and direct it at Millennium alone instead of the whole world. I want to do this, but Satan will immediately be alerted to my actions and come to stop me. While I have a great deal of power myself, I do not have the ability to calm Kuzuryu and battle Satan at the same time."

"Then you want us to battle Satan for you?" Hiroko guessed. "Because we couldn't calm the dragon down."

"That's right, I'm glad you see it," he said. "If you both can keep Satan occupied while I regain full control over Kuzuryu, we can turn God's plan against Him. It will be an extremely difficult battle, part of why I wanted to test you thoroughly. And don't fear having trouble with Satan. If you do, all you need is to hold out against him until I can join you with Kuzuryu. Even Satan would not be able to defeat all of us at once."

"We really don't have a lot of time to figure things out then," she said. Aleph nodded. Whoever they would go with… they needed to decide that soon.

Lucifer nodded. "Even so, I don't want to force a decision on you now. Given how you've made it through the Abyss so far, I believe you can make it to Kether Castle today even if I part with you for now and you still have Chokram Tower to climb. You can tell me then what you want to do. We should have enough time before they have the Megiddo Cannon ready to fire and I lose compete control over Kuzuryu. Actually, there's enough time that you could help me with my business in Binah. It would be reassuring to have Aleph's power of miracles to help with that."

"What is it you're actually doing there?" Hiroko asked.

"There is a demon named Astaroth who lives there. He used to be two different gods, a god of violence and war named Ashtar and a goddess of the harvest, Ishtar. Ishtar was a kind warmhearted goddess who cared for everyone early on in YHVH's climb to becoming the ultimate god. As she drew many worshipers to her for her kindness, God forcibly fused her and Ashtar, driving them both insane as Astaroth. Even I can't fully contain him, but I can keep him calm and relatively sane most of the time. But recently, he's gone out of control and has been damaging the fertile lands of Binah. It is very much the heart of the Abyss now, the place we depend upon for rebirth and nourishment when we cannot access Malkuth. There is a danger of everything coming undone soon, but I would still like to do what I can to help Astaroth first. With the power of miracles, it may be possible to undo the very thing that makes him insane."

"Well," Hiroko said, scratching her head. She looked at him. "What do you think, Aleph?"

Would a miracle make a dangerous demon god into two less dangerous gods? Or, since they were demons, were they still bad for the world? Whatever it turned out to be, it was interesting that Lucifer would spare some time when there were many bigger matters to take care of in order to help this one god when it might not matter in the end. "Okay," Aleph said, curious about the matter himself.

"Thank you," Lucifer said, bowing his head to them. "Since you have the key of the fortress, we should head out for Binah immediately."

The key led them into one of the small maze halls that led to the next land. While there were many demons there that might have attacked them elsewhere, they got into no battles at all. Lucifer traveling openly with them was enough to keep the others from even coming close. The other demons did call out signs of respect: greetings to someone greatly honored, a few who bowed and said nothing, others who asked humbly for a meeting. Lucifer treated them kindly, but declined further talk as he wanted to take care of matters quickly.

Binah was a gorgeous location, just about taking his breath away when Aleph walked out of the passage with the others. The black sands glittered as if many dark jewels were crushed to make this place; the waters all around were dark but calm; the ocean-like tides of one shore were tipped with pearly foam while the enclosed lake nearby was mirror smooth. Between them, in what should have been farms raising food for the demons, the earth had been overturned and plants were torn violently out of place.

"Nobody is trying to fix things yet, so Astaroth must be nearby," Lucifer said.

A rumbling from the ground passed under them, then burst out in the form of a giant green serpent. A horned man quickly appeared on the serpent's back, looking at them wildly. "What are you doing here? Get out!" He sent a dark wave of energy at them.

Fortunately, Lucifer was quicker to get up his reflection shield and hit him instead. "This is Astaroth. Looks like we'll need to knock some energy out of him before we try calming him down."

"Okay," Aleph said, going over to draw his katana out across Astaroth's chest. He screamed in pain and fury, casting out thick thorny vines from the ground. A few notes of warning helped Aleph to jump out of the way in time, but Hiroko's scream grabbed his attention. "Mom!

He got to her side and dropped his katana there to check on her. She'd been knocked over with her leg bent in a really bad way; many punctures from the thorns were all over her torso and arms. While she tried to say something, she was clearly in too much pain to do anything about it.

"Mmm..." Aleph started humming, trying to force the miracle energy out. Thankfully, it responded this time, swelling quickly in him and spreading to his Mom. The punctures got healed cleanly; her leg got straightened to how it should be. But, the miracle didn't go as far as to heal her broken bone completely. He wasn't sure why. Instead, he felt voices and instructions that her leg should be bound to heal straight. The miracle did give him bandage wrappings, so he followed the voices and tied her broken leg securely.

"A-Aleph?" she said weakly, still shaken badly by the attack. "Thanks."

He smiled and patted her arm. "Welcome."

Then, someone behind him wailed, reminding him that he had been in a battle just now. Glancing back, he saw that Astaroth's snake had crashed into the sand. Astaroth himself was trying to tear his own hair out and was hurt very badly from Aleph's attack. Lucifer was unharmed. The demon lord looked back at him and offered a hand. "Aleph, she'll be fine now. Will you try and call another miracle for Astaroth?"

He turned back to Hiroko first. "Stay," he said.

"Right, be careful," she said, gripping his arm briefly before letting go.

Aleph then got up and went to Lucifer's side. "Yes."

With his eyes still closed as they had been all this time, Lucifer smiled. "Good. Now, sing with me."

Sing? He could barely speak, only hum. But then Lucifer touched his neck, bringing up a strange feeling there. There were words in his mind too, words that he didn't know the meaning of. When Lucifer started singing, Aleph found himself singing along with those strange words. The humming started to match the melody of the song; a bubble of joy burst within Aleph and he closed his eyes to feel the song with all of his being. It made him remember things, and think of others that he'd never experienced. Before now, he had enjoyed listening to music; this was far better, being the source of the music itself.

When the song was over, he tried to find something to say to express how amazing it had been. But then that part of his mind hurt as usual and the words couldn't find their places. The words to the song vanished. Disappointed, he looked over and saw that the miracle had worked. There were two demon people over here instead of just the one with the snake. The man greatly resembled Astaroth's human body, although he had armor and seemed less wild. And the woman was covered up with a fluttering white drape similar to Lucifer's, even having similar horns.

"Phew, free of that madness for good," Ashtar said, grinning. "Now I can be the warrior I was meant to be."

"Yes, we're both very grateful to you, Lucifer and Aleph," Ishtar said. "But it seems there's a lot to be done to restore Binah to how it should be."

"Yes, but there is a dire threat hanging over Malkuth and the Abyss now," Lucifer said. "We have little time. Would you both assist Aleph in the coming trials? He is powerful, enough that he nearly took out Astaroth in a single blow, yet he will be coming up upon much greater foes soon."

"If that's the case, it seems I must put off Binah's restoration until we are all safe," Ishtar said. "Of course, I will take care of you, Aleph."

"Yes, we'll make sure you can do what you need to have done," Ashtar said.

"Good," Lucifer said, then turned to where Hiroko was lying. "We should get Hiroko to Tipherth to recover. The terminal stone in Binah is just over there. I'll send word to the town that she and Mekata are my guests and should be treated accordingly." Then he put a hand on Aleph's shoulder. "And if you'd like, I could grant you that voice for good, should you decide to work with me. I'll be waiting at Kether Castle for your answer."

"Okay," Aleph said. Lucifer nodded and then vanished.

Ashtar went over to Hiroko's side. "Don't be afraid, dear lady, I will treat you gently." He then picked her up, careful not to disturb her broken leg too much.

"The terminal stone is this way, come," Ishtar said, then led them over to the floating stone.

Although it didn't take long for them to transport to Tipherth, Lucifer's message had arrived ahead of them. Mekata and Hiroko were to be housed in one of the nicer buildings with some demon servants already assigned to take care of them. An artistic stone fireplace kept the room they placed Hiroko in warm and cozy, while the regular shapes and familiar furnishings were apparently made to keep human guests comfortable here.

Mekata looked more alert, although many of his wounded areas were bandaged up as well. "Hiroko, what happened to you?"

"I think I nearly got killed in that last battle," she said, being left sitting up in bed for now. "But, Aleph saved me." Then she looked over at the demons in the room with them. "I'm sorry, but could you leave us alone with Aleph for a little while? We really need to talk."

"If that's what he wants," Ashtar said.

Aleph nodded. "Please?"

"All right, we'll be waiting within your terminal," Ishtar said as both of them vanished. The servants excused themselves to other rooms.

"This has been strange, to suddenly be told that I'm a guest of Lucifer," Mekata said, bringing a chair over to sit near the bed. "I know they wouldn't welcome me back to the Center, but I was planning on going to the underworld somewhere. Not staying here."

"I think it's part of Lucifer's plan to get Aleph to work for him," Hiroko said. "He's done a lot of little favors like that for us in the time we were with him. He even made it possible for Aleph to sing briefly, in one of the most beautiful voices I'd ever heard."

"Great!" Aleph said, smiling and finding that happiness again.

Hiroko reached over to him. "But Aleph, Lucifer is known as the prince of lies. We can't take anything he says for granted. If he truly wanted to help, he would have let you keep that voice instead of taking it away. He did bribe you with returning it, right?"

"Yes," he admitted. And someone else too. "Gabriel."

Hiroko nodded. "Yes, Gabriel has also promised to give him a voice, should he work with her and apparently Satan. I know you must want a proper voice of your own, Aleph, but the entire fate of our world falls upon you now. I really don't like that, especially since they're forcing you to decide so quickly. No matter how tempting it is, don't let those small gifts figure too much into your decision here."

While he really wanted the ability to speak normally, she was right. She'd know better than him. "Okay," he said, his face feeling warm from nearly getting tricked so easily.

"I just wish there was some other way rather than letting them use you," she said. "But Amaterasu and the others haven't shown back up, not even Masakado. Lucifer can control Moloch and Kuzuryu, so he might just destroy our world, or take it as his own to rule over as he pleases. But then Gabriel, well she and Zayin mentioned reviving Eden, and I don't think we can take her defection at face value either. I'd believe that she might have gotten something like the Megiddo Cannon."

"What, someone actually built that thing?" Mekata said, paling at the thought. "I've seen plans for it, a weapon of mass destruction far greater than even the ICBMs that destroyed the world's civilizations. They said they weren't going to build it, but they distracted me with other projects shortly after."

"So that is real," Hiroko said, bowing her head. "Why are they so intent on destroying what little survived the great disasters earlier this century?"

"What exactly is going on?" Mekata asked.

"Well, we got much of this from Gabriel and Lucifer, so," she started to explain.

However, Aleph got distracted by one of his mind songs, the one that had preceded Set's awakening. "Mmmm..." he closed his eyes; he wanted to hear their discussion so he had their knowledge to rely on in making these big decisions.

"Aleph?" Hiroko asked in worry, looking over to him.

Then an angel appeared in the room, right by his side. "Excuse me, but Aleph? Zayin needs to speak with you, immediately.

"Wait," Aleph said, but the room quickly turned into a white blur.

* * *

Her heart beat harder out of fear. Was she going to see Aleph again? Or were they going to keep him away from her, to make sure anything she said wouldn't deter him from choosing one of their sides? Not that she really knew how to advise him on issues like these. "See, they're rushing him into this whole Messiah thing still," Hiroko said, her throat tight as she spoke. "I don't even know if he's capable of making those kinds of decisions properly."

Her father hung his head. "I don't know either. I didn't get the chance to fully examine him when we fled. Just because of one door we forgot to lock, he was gone in an instant and we had no control over how he was going to develop beyond coming out of the growth vat."

"He's supposed to be just figuring out how to roll around, isn't he?" she asked. "And here I thought I was getting a grip on that. I was looking forward to being a mother, but then the whole world turns out to be crazy enough to ask him to decide the future for everyone. I just don't get it; why do they have to do this to my baby?"

"If I'd just objected earlier," Mekata said, then shook his head. "No, they would have figured out some way to pull off this idiotic farce. We should figure out what to say to him if they let him come back to us. Otherwise, it's all up to him. So what is going on?"

"Right, I should tell you that," she said, trying to put her feelings aside for a little while to let him know.


	16. The Stone that Splits the Stream of Time

When Gabriel let go of Aleph, the bright sun made his eyes wince. There was a scent he wasn't familiar with, not quite earthy but rather pleasant. Wind rustled through trees and a gentle heavenly tune played in his head. "Welcome to Eden, Aleph," Gabriel said, nudging him to take a look around.

There was a look like Arcadia to this place, but it didn't have the feeling of falsehood that had bothered Aleph in visiting that area. This was real: trees had grown thick and tall, flowers were blooming in neat rows, pools of clear water were spread around. While there were few buildings, they were elegant and stately to keep the sacred nature of this place. There were some people strolling around, chatting and happy to be there.

"It was built to recreate the original, with a few additions to make things more comfortable to the people of this age," Gabriel said. "Go and speak to them if you like. Zayin is over in that cluster of trees; you should get to him soon."

"Mmm," wasn't that contradictory? "Okay," he said, then started to walk over to the trees Zayin was at.

"Oh, Messiah, you're here," a woman said, coming up to him. This caught the attention of others. "I'm so glad to have a chance to meet you; we're all happy to see you here."

"Thank you," he said, although he kept walking.

She stayed alongside him. "It's really wonderful to be chosen by God, isn't it? We had to leave some things behind, but I don't care. They're burdens that I'm happy to give up. We were all chosen to make the world entirely like Eden here."

Since she seemed to want a conversation, he struggled to come up with a response that he wanted. "Give… up?"

"Weren't you told? We have given up the knowledge that evil beings granted us, leaving us with what God wanted us to know all along." She smiled. "Everything became so clear when I arrived, and I don't know why I couldn't recognize this wisdom before. I mean, I know some of why: there was so much useless and corrupted knowledge in the world that God's teachings became bogged down in it all, even darkened. But we live with the light here." She laughed and spun around.

Aleph smiled. They seemed happy, but what exactly had they given up? Well, if it made them happy, maybe it was okay? And it was so pretty up here, like the Abyss but with more light. "Safe?"

"Oh yes, we're safe from all the dangers of the world here," she said. "Gabriel keeps the demons from being able to reach us, and they say Zayin is going to make sure that nothing can put us in danger. I can't wait to get started with expanding Eden, but they say we have to stay here first and make sure other matters are taken care of. Gabriel and Zayin are wise to God's plans, so we'll listen to them and stay."

Lucifer was said to be the prince of lies; Hiroko had said so. But then, was there some truth to what he'd said? Being here, Aleph found himself unsure of it. Zayin would know, though. He'd been fighting for the people all along; he must still be fighting to keep those in Eden safe and happy, which was something Aleph wanted to do as well.

Over in the cluster of trees, there was a warning that Eden ended soon. The woman excused herself and left, being warned not to leave here. As it turned out, this was actually the edge to the entire tower of the Center, opening out to the sky without any walls. Zayin was near that edge, watching for something in the sky. But he turned around to greet him. "Hello Aleph."

"Hello… Zayin," he said, then winced at a bit of pain remaining from trying to speak to the woman.

"You should know that you don't have to push yourself around me," he said. "But that might not be a problem much longer. What do you think of Eden, being your first time here?"

"Pretty," he said, which was his first impression of the place. At least, the one he most readily had a word for.

"It is that," he said with a smile. "But what else do you think is pretty?"

"Abyss," Aleph said, as the first thing he thought of. "Binah. Yesod."

Zayin gave him an odd look, then chuckled. "I see your trip through the Abyss hasn't damaged your innocence one bit. That's good. Have you gotten past Binah yet?"

"No," he said.

"I see. Have you met with Lucifer yet?"

"Yes."

At that Zayin came closer to him. There was a music very similar to Set here, which made Aleph start to worry. "Did you kill him?"

"No."

Zayin put a hand on his shoulder and for once, Aleph wasn't sure if he wanted to be around him. But, Zayin was always nice; he helped many times and got him reunited with his Mom even though the Center had tried to forbid it. Zayin was his friend. Right?

"I get the feeling that it was because you weren't allowed a chance to fight him," Zayin said.

"Yes," Aleph said. It would have been rude to decline him time to talk.

With that assurance, Zayin let him go. "I see. You must be careful of him, Aleph. Whatever you saw from the moment you first spoke with him was probably staged to put him in the best light. He would be getting desperate at this time to gain any advantage; he knows his time is short, so he will say and do anything to get you to go with him. But I'm sure you know what you were meant to do."

"Yes," he said. That was to fight demons and help people. There didn't seem to be many people here, though.

"The ones here with us are those chosen by God," he said, as if he'd read Aleph's mind. "Gabriel bought them all here to learn how to remake the world to better follow God's plan. From what I've learned from her, I can see what went wrong and why humanity has suffered so much in the past century. We ruined ourselves, essentially."

"Mmm." He didn't like the sound of that, but Zayin seemed so sure of it. Gimmel had felt the same way.

He bowed his head. "Right. I understand it was programmed into me, but I always believed humans were good at heart. If people really thought things through and weren't tempted by outside forces, they'd make good choices for the benefit of everyone. I still believe that. However, there is one irrefutable fact about recent history: demons were rare sightings up until about a week before the nuclear apocalypse utterly destroyed civilization.

"This means that demons did not have much of an influence on that first great catastrophe. The fault for that lies entirely on humans: we built the horrible weapons even though we understood they could be our ruin, we made the conflicts that escalated to the catastrophe, and we humans invited demons into the world even though it made things harder on us. When you study history and society before then, you see that humanity was toxic to itself."

"No," Aleph said, although he wasn't sure what all Zayin was talking about anymore. People couldn't work to destroy themselves. That was dumb.

When Zayin sighed, it was clear that he was bothered by this too. "It is hard to believe. After all, it should be plain and simple wisdom, that you should treat others with respect and not try to harm them. But humanity hasn't acted that way. In the past, they built societies where money was worth more than human dignity and life. People thought too much of themselves and used others for their own benefit no matter how much it degraded them. Or, they thought too much of society and damaged themselves for the approval of others.

"And then they taught those ways to their children. Things that started good became warped into bad things. Like storing bountiful harvests so there was food in lean times. That was good. But then, it began a focus on material abundance, then wealth. That grew into greed, miserly behaviors, hoarding for one's self rather than to help others, and much more until the value of being prepared was long lost to the vices grown out of it.

"Vice beget more vices until the virtues became rare, notable when demonstrated. And yet, the virtues seemed flimsy and vague by the time civilization grew as wicked as it had before the nuclear apocalypse. People even derided virtuous behaviors, calling them childish or foolishly optimistic. As a result, humanity destroyed itself. But the self-destructive behaviors had not stopped. You lived in Valhalla, so you have seen yourself how they remained, even were celebrated. But the solution to that..."

When Zayin suddenly stopped his impassioned speech, Aleph tried to figure it out. He'd not understood why Okamoto liked the casino. Aleph could figure out the roulette wheel just by watching it and feeling out the tune of it. But according to the casino staff, that was a bad thing. Everyone else there picked randomly, or they picked their favorite numbers even though it was just as random when not considered against the motions of the wheel. Why did they do things like that? But then, he was certain that Okamoto was not a bad man. Some people had called the casino a den of the devil's games. So was it humans or demons responsible? Or was there something going on there that he didn't grasp?

Zayin had turned to look off the edge of the tower again. He seemed troubled, putting a hand to his face. "The solution..."

"What?" Aleph asked. This was a difficult conversation; he wished Mom was here to help explain things. Or even Gimmel.

He crossed his arms over his chest, still looking out to the sky. "You know, Aleph, I've always liked you as a friend. Even past the programming that I was to be your bodyguard, I want to protect you. I want to stop your nightmares and end your curse. I… I'd rather things could be undone that can't be, even by the power of miracles. You should have been a blessed child that we raised into someone who could teach people a better way to be when you actually grew up.

"Early on in my existence, I had dreams of that which I couldn't explain at the time. You would have been allowed to stay with your mother Hiroko, although they'd keep you tied closely to the religious Center. I would have been your personal guard, perhaps more like a father to you; I do find Hiroko to be an admirable woman despite having spoken little to her, so it seems to be part of my programming. Gimmel would have been your tutor; he'd probably be more satisfied in what he learned and did in that. And if he failed to live up to their expectations as a Messiah, Daleth should have been your mentor. And lastly, Beth would have been born as an infant too, or at least a child that grew up near you as a childhood sweetheart. We would have all been much happier, I'm sure of that."

Unlike the rest of this unpleasant topic, that was a nice idea. Aleph smiled at it. "Yes."

Thankfully, that did make Zayin smile. "If we could find some way to redo history in that fashion, I'm sure the world could truly be saved. Science made you a pinnacle, Nature would have allowed your mind and body to form properly, and our nurturing of you would make you an ideal example that people would gladly strive for. But as things are now," he turned grim again. "You've spoken with a prophet named Yuji, haven't you?"

"Yes," he said, wondering what Yuji had to do with this.

He tapped his fingers against his arm. "Perhaps Yuji was an early warning sign that things were far worse than they appeared. When a prophet comes out with such significant signs around him, people ought to listen. But few people truly heeded his words; he was excommunicated from the Mesian church. Not even the seraphs recognized his importance until Gabriel was able to speak with God again. He said he would confirm the new Messiah. And, he's confirmed you."

"Yes," Aleph said. Gabriel must have known and told him.

"Can't you delay things, like ten years to give him time to be properly prepared?" Zayin said out to the sky.

"How?" Eden was supposed to take off today and Kuzuryu would awaken tomorrow.

"Sorry, I wasn't asking you that," he said, closing his eyes. "I know, orders are orders and we cannot disobey. Humanity should be capable of returning to paradise, but they won't. But to do this..."

Aleph went over and tugged at Zayin's sleeve. "Zayin? Okay?"

Then Zayin put an arm around him. "I'm really sorry I can't do anything about this for you," he said quietly. "But it must be done."

"What?" he asked, now very confused.

He let go, but tapped Aleph's forehead. "Listen."

"Hmm?"

He'd partly tuned out his mental music because Zayin was troubled and speaking of strange things. But now that he paid attention again… there were powerful movements around them, things being played on an incredible scale. Two songs that he associated with different concepts were playing together and blending in an ominous way. Whoever was conducting everything was watching him. Analyzing him, trying to see what lay ahead by divining his thoughts. Judging him like the fate of humanity was waiting solely on his frail words. Everything that he had witnessed, everything that he had done, they were tiny fragments of the complex workings of the world. And someone watched him to see what to do about everything.

Aleph shuddered, on the brink of crying. But he had to be strong. "Zayin..." two songs, meant to be one. He opened his eyes and looked up at his friend, as well as a terrifying stranger. "Satan."

He nodded. "That's right. I'm one half of Satan, and Set is returning to me. He and I have been looking over how the world is now, called to judge how things are. After all, that is our purpose. But, something has been bothering me. I have the soul of Law, so it stands out like a painful thorn. Set has the soul of Chaos, but even he feels it. Orders are orders, though, and even Set will obey that.

"And, then there's you, and the human part of myself that was Zayin before I fully knew what soul I bore." He took a step forward, ending up at the very edge of the building. After listening to the music, Aleph spotted Set flying out there, a black omen of things. "Early on in the Messiah Project, I was planned to be your bodyguard. But, what Messiah needs a bodyguard? Perhaps had you grown up normally, I would have been needed when you were a mere child. But they made me the strongest even when they were trying to get you bestowed with the soul of a Messiah.

"As for why they did that, the answer is clear now. You weren't meant to become a Messiah in the plans of the one who influenced the project so that I was perfectly designed to bear half the soul of the ancient judge Satan. And yet, you became one anyway. Your soul should have not been anyone significant, but you are now the Messiah and you bear a terrible curse for not becoming the Messiah in a way that was planned. Did Yuji tell you that he was called by a god he did not believe in that seemed to be the God he was wholly devoted to?'

"Yes," Aleph said, although it wasn't in those words.

Zayin waved him forward. When he followed, Zayin added in a quiet voice, "I wish to know if that false god was truly Demiurge, or if Demiurge was a mere delusion of the four seraphs."

Shouldn't he know that? Although when Aleph tried to figure out how to ask that, his head throbbed to the beat of Satan's aura. "Mmm," he said with a grimace.

"Aleph," Zayin said regretfully, hugging him again. "I want to tell you to calm down and things will be okay. But that would be a lie. As it is, I will know with certainty when I am Satan. But once I merge with Set, it will be more difficult for me to be Zayin, and your friend. I will be unable to refuse what I was ordered to do. And I can't delay this much longer. That's why I told Gabriel to retrieve you no matter what was going on.

"As the Messiah, you can save the world. I want you to have far more time for that kind of decision, but what's left of civilization is collapsing around us. Once Set and I become Satan, Eden will depart for the skies. And Kuzuryu has already destroyed many in the way he is being awakened with Moloch. This all means that you must decide who you believe in and who you want to support in this battle as soon as possible. You can work with me to bring humanity back to its senses, to what God has been trying to teach us all along. Or you can work with Lucifer to whatever goal he has seen fit to raise Kuzuryu for; Set tells me he wishes to make demons and humans equals, which will only continue the toxic wickedness that led humanity to destroy itself."

Would it really? Some humans were really bad, like Crowley and even Hanada. But some demons were really good, like Anoon and those who had worked with him. The people here seemed happy, but why save so few of them? And why was Zayin going along with orders that made him so troubled, especially if he suspected something was wrong with the one giving him orders? Whatever happened to the bishop, or Okamoto, or Madam, or all the people he had met? And what would happen if he went with Zayin, or with Lucifer? Zayin was his friend, and Lucifer had been his friend as Louis too.

"If you don't decide soon, then I fear that everything will be destroyed before long," Zayin said. "As much as this makes me uncomfortable, I have to ask… who will you believe in?"

Who... he wanted to say something. This was what he'd been called to do. But the music in his mind was overwhelming now. Aleph pointed out to the sky; Set was coming closer.

"Please step back," he said. Aleph did so, although he felt shaken to be away from someone he knew could protect him when faced with this. Although Zayin seemed sad about this, he held his arms out to greet Set. He and the dragon both vanished, merging into each other just like the music.

For a brief moment, a strange nightmare was before him. Satan was a being of immense power that encompassed all of this confusion into one indecipherable thing. Then he reformed himself into something more familiar. In a way, he was like Zayin wearing a strange black coat that seemed like it could unfurl into many wings. But his eyes were that overbearing music; Aleph felt like there was nothing but a power he could not break.

Satan came over and made him look away. When his fingers brushed over Aleph's eyes, the music faded away. It left his mind frighteningly silent. "Is there anything you want to ask me before you decide? I will understand you." After a moment, he added, "I quieted that sense of yours because it's clear you can't make any decisions in my presence."

Maybe, but now he had to make this decision without the main way he knew things about the world. Aleph trembled, his heart beating faster. "M-mom?" She could help, everything would be okay if she was here. Why wasn't she here?!

"I can bring her here easily," Satan said. "But aside from you and when I was Zayin, all humans that enter Eden must be purified. I'll have to put her under a temporary state like that since there isn't time to do that properly for her. Is that fine for now?"

He nodded and Satan snapped his fingers. And just like that, Hiroko was there with them. Satan had to catch her quickly since her leg was still bound. "Huh? Oh, Aleph, here you are."

"Mom! Mmm..." While he felt relieved at having her here at first, he still had to decide on what to do. But she could help. It'd work out better now.

"What's the matter?" Hiroko asked, worried and taking his arm.

"We're at the end," Satan said. "As the Messiah, Aleph must decide who he supports in this conflict, whether myself or Lucifer. I'll take you somewhere quiet here in Eden and give him an hour to decide. That's as much as I can hold things off. But we will keep our agreement. Gabriel can give him a voice of his own and we'll keep you safe here while Aleph takes care of the rest."

"That would be wonderful," she said with a smile.

Thankfully, Satan got them a chair so that Hiroko could stay with him in one of the clusters of trees, by a clear little pond with lilies growing on its surface. Other people who had been near the pond went away when Satan asked that they have some quiet over here. Then he left. But, Aleph's mind was still horribly silent. Would the music return?

He knelt down by Hiroko's chair, taking her hand and hoping she could reassure him. "Mom? Talk?"

"About what?" she asked, seeming puzzled. "I seem to think I had been talking with someone else just now."

"Mekata," he suggested, since they had been together when Aleph was brought here to Eden.

"For some reason, it's all fuzzy now," Hiroko said, looking around. She soon relaxed and smiled. "Wow this place is beautiful, and so peaceful. It's like all my worries have melted away and I can't even recognize them anymore." She even giggled at it.

Aleph smiled briefly, glad she was happy. But it seemed like whatever she'd wanted to talk with him about, she'd forgotten about it as well. For a moment, that worried him. Mom had thought it was something really important. He remembered that she'd been upset that they were making him decide on something big like this so quickly. Although, he did have an hour now.

But it was all really complicated. Things that were good were good. That was obvious. But both Lucifer and Zayin acted like some things that seemed good were actually bad. They both claimed that the other one was lying to him. Who should he believe in?

It was all on him to decide, with nothing that could guide him.

Aleph looked over the pond nearby, trying to think over something that encompassed everything he knew and much much more than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but here's the alignment lock question where all three endings split up.


	17. LAW - The Judgment of YHVH

**Chapter 17: LAW – The Judgment of YHVH**

There were a lot of things that Aleph didn't understand why people did even though they got hurt in them: the death matches in the Coliseum, gambling when they couldn't read the machines, summoning demons they couldn't control, doing things where a small mistake could kill them, using those drugs they mistook him for having. It was a simple idea to just not do bad or harmful things. Of course, some of them weren't obviously harmful. He hadn't understood how gambling was bad (or what it was, actually) until he realized that Okamoto often lost all the money he had in the casinos. At the time, he'd trusted that his trainer knew what he was doing, but…

When he sat down and actually thought about it all, there were things he'd experienced that seemed to contradict each other. The world was more complicated than he'd imagined. But his answer came to him with something simple: Zayin was his friend. And he was half of Satan, so Satan also had to be his friend even though his power was overwhelming and Set had scared him at first. Zayin must have thought things through himself, so if he thought Gabriel was doing a good thing, it should be good.

And if Zayin had his doubts about things, it was Aleph's duty as a friend to help him with that.

Hiroko had fallen asleep in the meantime. When Satan came back, Aleph got up and tried not to disturb her. "Hello."

Satan nodded to that. "Have you made your decision?" he asked quietly. "Will you help us rebuild the world into one of peace and order?"

"Yes," Aleph said.

"Good, we had hoped you'd still see what was important," Satan said.

In a flash of light, Ashtar and Ishtar both appeared. Susano wasn't far behind them. Ashtar had his sword drawn against Aleph almost as soon as he was there. "How dare you betray us! You're joining the one who oppresses all!"

"That is so, although I cannot advise siding with Lucifer either," Susano said, standing against him too.

Aleph was startled, not expecting this. On the other hand, Satan narrowed his eyes at them. "Demons are not to be in Eden, and you are not to revoke the contract provided by the demon summoning program like this."

"You..." Ashtar started to argue, but his anger had vanished on seeing Satan's. Ishtar was creeping back and even Susano looked wary.

"This shall not be permitted," Satan said, pointing to the three of them. "Be gone." And they exploded into light and shadow, screaming in pain as they did. After scratching his chin, Satan added, "You have another demon contracted to you."

"Yes," Aleph said. And Satan snapped his fingers, summoning the last demon out.

Joker flicked one of the tips of his hat, making the bell jangle. "Well I have no reason to go against Aleph," he said, being remarkably brave in the face of Satan. "I made it clear from the start that I simply want to see what occurs of putting the future in the hands of one so blessed and cursed. If you wish to see all demons cast out of the world, then I ask that I may act as a witness to what happens and as a servant to the Messiah. I will willingly leave the world after that."

"Very well, you are now bound to those terms," Satan said. With that taken care of, he turned back to Aleph. "I will take care of your mother and make sure her soul is as pure as required in Eden. Go and see Gabriel; she will endow you with a voice. Ask her if there's anything she can do to make my presence less overpowering to you as well."

"Okay."

* * *

At some point while Aleph had been asleep, Eden had separated from Millennium and taken off for orbit. Most of those in Eden were staying in the garden area to be safe, but he was allowed to wander around the outer halls and see what was there. There wasn't much to see in this area, though. He did find a panel like the scenery window. When he activated it, metal panels retracted and an image of the Earth appeared, glowing with the sun shining on it. Black space extended beyond the horizon instead of a blue sky.

But this was the window controls, an actual window opposed to a picture of one. The white clouds drifted along the jet streams. Blue ocean and brown earth showed below it. In places, one could still see the scars of nuclear war from here. If he took a nearby staircase, he would come upon the controls of Eden where the power to heal those wounds and return life to the world were located. And he knew how to operate that machinery.

That was… it was more knowledge that had come into his mind without his being aware of it. Gabriel had probably put it there. Aleph was going to make the world a much better place; he was to lead those in Eden, so he had to know things they didn't. Although, being in a position to know things like that was strange. Usually everyone around him knew more than he did, things that were real and things that were fake. But this made him more of a Messiah and a leader, didn't it? He would have to do his best to be a good leader.

A door nearby hummed in opening; there was the unmistakable tune from Satan, less powerful than it had been but it still wasn't subtle. Aleph turned, curious as to why Satan hadn't simply appeared in the hall. With the angel was Hiroko, using crutches to get around. Aleph smiled at that and went over to them. "Mom, how are you doing?"

She smiled back at him; not a trace of worry was in her face. "I'll be okay, it doesn't hurt. I don't really remember what happened, but..." her eyes soon went to the exposed window. "Oh wow, what is that? It looks beautiful."

"It'll be more beautiful before long," Aleph said, looking back at the window with her. "That's the world. It's odd that you don't remember what happened; it wasn't that long ago."

"She won't ever remember it, and the laws of Eden state that she shouldn't," Satan said. "Don't worry about it."

"But it was a thing that happened," Aleph said. "Remembering real things is better than remember fake things, isn't it?"

Satan crossed his arms over his chest. "That will be taken into consideration. For now, the laws of Eden are absolute. They will not be a burden to the people here, though. In time, those laws shouldn't matter at all."

"The people here are happy, so it should be fine," Aleph said, although this didn't feel like other times he'd been with his mom and his friends.

"Of course, the laws aren't a burden at all since they're there to keep us safe and happy," Hiroko said, a soft happiness to her. "We live by the blessings of God, and that alone is reason to be happy, not to mention all the wonders here around Eden."

"You're feeling uneasy because things are left undone in the world," Satan said.

"That's true," he said. "My task was to defeat Lucifer, and last that time got neglected, he went into hiding and continued causing trouble. And there's also Kuzuryu that he can take control of."

"As long as we take care of Lucifer, Kuzuryu won't be able to reach us in orbit," Satan said. "We'll head down to do that shortly, but I thought I'd let you two talk for a short time before that."

"Thank you for that," Aleph said. At least she was happy, and she would be perfectly safe up here in Eden.

For a moment, she did look worried. "You are going to do something really dangerous, aren't you Aleph?"

"Yes, but I'm not afraid of Lucifer," he said. "I've got to come back to follow the plan for Eden, so I'll be back once he is taken care of."

"All right, I'll see you later then," Hiroko said, confidant in him.

They continued talking for a few minutes. But even though Aleph could actually be in the conversation, he still felt frustrated by something he couldn't put a finger on. He didn't want to make Hiroko upset, so he didn't mention it until she was sent back to the garden area. "That didn't feel right for some reason," he said to Satan. "You changed her a lot to be here."

"She was the hardest one to integrate," Satan said, still leaning against the wall by the door. "It was inevitable since she was involved in the battle against the rogue seraphs and Demiurge."

"Are you going to make me forget that too?" Aleph asked. "It might be good if that can get rid of my nightmares."

Strangely, Satan shook his head. "We can't purify you like the rest, in part because of the nightmares the curse deep in your soul inflicts. If we tried, you would still have those nightmares with no way to explain them to yourself, which will make things worse on you."

That bothered him. "Those who live in Eden must be purified to receive God's blessings. So I can't actually live in Eden, but you put me in charge of everyone here."

It must have bothered Satan too since he sighed at that.

"Satan, why was that done?" Aleph asked.

"You chose to be the Messiah," he answered. "The Messiah takes on the burden of the sins of humanity. That is your responsibility as well. If things go properly, you shouldn't die for it. Although, if things had truly gone properly, your life would have been entirely different. I recognized that before I became Satan, even got to tell you about it. If the powers guiding you had been patient and done things like that, we would likely be in a better position."

"That would have been nice," he said.

"We have to deal with things as they are," Satan said, stepping towards the window. "I was called to judge everything in the world this time, and I will do so. But then, I also have other orders to comply with. When the time comes, please understand that it is the nature of the angels who have not fallen. We chose to remain faithful, but have grown to be completely compliant. And, I am apart from the others even as I am a part of them."

"What do you mean?" Aleph asked.

"If you heard contradictions in that, keep those in mind," he said. "We had best be going to the Abyss now. We wanted to be sure you could speak well for us, but we need to intercept Lucifer from his intent to destroy Eden."

"Yes," he said. "I'm ready for this, let's go."

"Good," Satan said, taking his hand. The area around them shimmered like fire.

And then, darkness wrapped around them, only softened by the presence of cold moonlight. They had transported back to the furthest reaches of the Abyss that Aleph had reached, all the way to Binah. Some of the land had been repaired, but much of it was still torn up from Astaroth's rampage. The dark waters still caressed the jeweled sands of the beach. Some faint fragrances of the alien fruits and grains that had once grown here remained.

"They've made this place beautiful," Aleph said.

Satan looked over the landscape sharply. "It looks that way, but it is as much of a mirage as Arcadia is. Both places are vain fantasies to forget about the harsh truth of the state of the world. They will do anything to forget their miserable state of being. But to me, it can be undone simply by asserting the real nature of the Abyss. Hmph." He snapped his fingers.

Briefly, Aleph was overcome with screams of agony and despair instead of his mental music. He cringed at it, although the measures that softened Satan's presence soon softened the hellish discord. When he looked around after that, everything was different. They seemed to be standing within a lake of fire, flames rolling along like ocean tides right through their bodies. But these weren't flames that produced heat and light. These flames consumed light and heat, leaving them in a frigid absence.

It wasn't entirely dark, though. Satan had a halo of light around his body, something that embodied his piercing examination as a judge. Yet the angel's light kept close to him, while the light that now poured out of Aleph's body tried to spread out. The consuming flames couldn't take away that light, at least not close to him.

He heard the music that always accompanied Lucifer before long. The fallen angel appeared before them, the flames drawn to him rather than repelled as they seemed around Aleph and Satan. With the Abyss in its native state, it was easier to see the halo that remained with Lucifer as well. It was a sicklier light than around Satan, more like the old street lights in the Underground.

"What have you done?" Lucifer asked, sounding hurt by the change. "This is our home, we should be able to do as we wish here."

"You should know that I do not tolerate falsehoods," Satan said strictly, then waved his hand at Lucifer. "You've used that disguise since the days of the original Eden, it cannot fool me. Show your true self instead."

While Lucifer grimaced and must have fought it, he wasn't able to stop Satan from reverting him as well. Much like Binah, he was no longer a beautiful angelic being. Lucifer's true self was dark and scarred, with charred tattered wings that could have enveloped the entirety of Holytown's cathedral as he was a massive golden-haired devil that wore heavy broken chains. And Satan was no longer using a human appearance either. He was an equally massive… dragon was the best way Aleph could think of it as Satan now reminded him of Kuzuryu appearing like a line of mountains that spread from the Abyss to Earth. His scales gleamed like a polished sword.

They seemed equally matched based on the music he heard off both of them. And, Aleph was very small compared to either of them. He had defeated massive enemies before, like Tiamat. It was different when it was Satan and Lucifer pummeling each other with spells, claws, and fists. Even though he couldn't get in close, there were things he could still do. As he drew his gun, he let the hum fill his mind and body. Lucifer was wrong and deceptive, so Satan should win.

Newly empowered, Satan tore Lucifer's arm right off. The battle only got more lop-sided from there. Lucifer summoned up smaller demons to disrupt Aleph, smaller in a relative sense as several were still larger than him. But, the smaller demons weren't able to stop the hum that remained in Aleph's mind. He could read the demons better, not get surprised by them like he had once with those ninjas in level 70 virtuals. Shoot one, decapitate another with the katana… when one appeared that would resist his gun and his katana, Aleph had to get it into the massive exchange of attacks used by Satan and Lucifer both.

He felt himself in danger right before Lucifer suddenly snatched him up and escaped to another area of the Abyss. When the demon lord let him go, he immediately shrank down to a more human size. He was missing that arm, his tail was clearly broken, his wings were nearly ripped off, his horns had been snapped (one barely dangled on). "I can understand how you might not want to trust me," Lucifer said, pleading with him once more. "But is going along with Satan any better? You will come to regret this decision, I am certain of that."

"Maybe, but I will likely regret things more if I go with you," Aleph said. He then cut Lucifer's head off to destroy him.

Satan reappeared near him, back in his human guise. "Well said," he said. "Come, we need to head right back to Eden."

"Okay," he said, taking his hand so Satan could teleport them back. "What are we doing now? Kuzuryu is still around."

"That dragon won't matter," Satan said, letting him go as they arrived in the control room of Eden. He went in front of a control panel and looked down at it. The keys moved without being pressed. "As I said, I have my orders, which I got an update on while you were with Gabriel. God has ordered us to go ahead and fire the Meggido Cannon."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Aleph asked, worried about it. "Mekata acted like it was terrible thing to plan."

"It is a terrible weapon," Satan said. "Hanada was a part of the group that planned it, along with Uriel. What it's doing is abusing divine power to encompass the whole world in an instantly lethal curse, much like the hama line of spells. Unlike those spells, Hanada's technology ensures that the Megiddo Cannon is perfectly accurate. And thanks to the various connections between realms, the Megiddo Cannon is now destroying all life on Earth and in the Abyss."

"All life?" He felt a chill hearing about this. But all he could hear at the moment was Satan's power. When he watched the window carefully, though, he could see all the green vanishing.

"All humans, all beasts, all plants, all demons, even all of the unseeable things," Satan confirmed. "They will be destroyed body and soul. Normally demons can reconstruct themselves given time in the Abyss but the Megiddo Cannon will destroy that option for them. Nothing will survive."

"But Arcadia is in a separate room of space," Aleph said.

"They didn't escape this," he said.

"But why did you that?" he asked. "We were meant to save the world, not destroy it."

Satan nodded, a serious look on his face. "You were. I judged the world and as a result of that, God ordered me to use the Megiddo Cannon to its full capacity and to not tell you until it could not be stopped. As I cannot disobey God's orders, that was what I had to do."

"But why would God do that? The world wasn't bad enough to kill off all but a select few."

"How about you ask Him that yourself?" Satan said. "Just one more thing I was ordered to do, something God added to the Megiddo Cannon. This will replenish the world with non-sentient life. No demons or humans, but all other flora and fauna will be restored to a state unaffected by humanity." And as he said it, green was returning to the vast world in the window.

Once Satan was done with that task, they headed off to the outer hallway outside the garden area. Another angel emerged from what seemed to be a solid wall; he had a body of shining metal with robes of gold and white. "Satan, Aleph, YHVH has requested your presence. I will escort you there."

"There's no need for that," Satan said. "We wish to speak to YHVH ourselves, so I will accompany the Messiah within His presence."

The other angel flexed his wings, seeming bothered by that. "What? But, that is my purpose."

"I can protect him as well, and for my purpose, I'd rather have Him speak for Himself," Satan said.

"If you can do so, it doesn't matter as long as you both meet with Him," the angel said, then touched the wall he'd passed through. An illusion of a much stronger power than those in the Factory Tower disappeared, revealing a doorway there. He moved aside so they could pass through.

There was a staircase past the hidden door. "Who was that?" Aleph asked.

"Metatron, the angel who serves as the Voice of God," Satan answered. "His will is more tightly tied to God than any other being. Even so, I do not want Metatron acting as an intermediary in our meeting. God's own voice is too powerful for a human to endure. You might be okay, but for safety's sake, I'll grant you protection."

"Okay," he said. Maybe he was doing that as his friend.

They had to climb several flights of stairs, going inward as they climbed the pyramidal structure of Eden. Aleph's mental music swelled in power as they did, becoming a version of the Law music that was more intense than any other, even the fusion of Chaos and Law that Satan had. However, the halls grew darker and colder as they headed for the pinnacle. It got to where it was like the curse of darkness. The chill also made him shiver. But after a hum, he called a light to himself that extended their range of vision and kept him warm.

At the top of Eden, they entered a very dark room, After a moment, a giant golden face materialized in the darkness. Both the dark and cold grew deeper with His entrance, turning what had been a largish room with a pointed ceiling into an immense space. "Well met, Messiah and Satan," he said in a voice that even with protection made Aleph quiver worse than the shivers. "You have done well in your efforts on my behalf. Lucifer should never bother us again and the world has been cleansed of corruption. In short time, you shall see the world return to the paradise it was meant to be."

"But why did you have to destroy all life to do that?" Aleph asked.

"We had to destroy Lucifer and his influence completely, as sealing him off from the world did nothing to help," YHVH said.

"But why destroy all life just for that?" Aleph asked.

"Sin had completely ruined the world," YHVH replied. "Humanity kept harming itself no matter how many times I extended my hand to them. At a certain point, there is no use for forgiveness. Everything was better off wiped entirely clean to try again. You and my people here are all from the land of Japan. Therefore, it will become the birthplace of the new form of humanity and the center of Eden. And this time, perfection shall not be lost."

"But things weren't that horrible," Aleph said. "Most of the people I met were good. Even many of the demons turned out to be good too. I don't know how many animals and plants there were outside of Millennium, but was it really necessary to destroy all of them too?"

"The renewal of the world restored many plants and animals that had been driven to extinction," Satan said. "But it does not seem fully necessary to extinguish all life from the world."

"Why are you questioning that?" YHVH asked. "It makes sense that he is trying to understand, but not you."

"I am questioning it because I am the judge of all things," Satan replied. "You recently ordered me to judge all that was in the Earth and the Abyss at this time. And You are currently within Earth, thus I am led to judge You as well. Thus I will question You."

"What?!" His voice made the entire room tremble.

"Please don't hurt the people below us in the Garden of Eden," Aleph said. "But it does make sense, if You told him to judge all things here. Since You're here, that means he has to judge You too because he must complete Your orders."

There was a brief growl from God when Aleph pointed that out. Although this was supposed to be the true God, the reaction reminded him of facing Demiurge and his insistence upon things that turned out to be untrue. But this being did have authority over Satan, enough that He was able to order him to use the Megiddo Cannon even though Satan clearly didn't like those orders. Then who was this?

"Yes, as an angel I am bound to Your words," Satan said. "Except, now that You have told me to judge all things including Yourself, I am not bound by Your words so that I can make an unbiased judgment."

"Fine, then judge as you are meant to," YHVH said. "Although it is clear what your judgment must be. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I am the Creator of all things, I know all things, I am everywhere and within everything at once. I am perfection."

"That was a rather amateurish response to having judgment turned on you," Satan said. "And this time of judgment is not in the situation that I expected such a thing to occur, but it must be done. The first issue I'd like to bring up is Aleph here."

"It would be best if you returned to the people in the garden for this," YHVH said to Aleph.

"No, I want to know how this turns out," Aleph said. YHVH tried to glare at him, but he remained firm against Him.

"He has been anointed by a true prophet as a Messiah, thus I will insist that he remains as a witness," Satan said. "Firstly, there is the matter in which your imposter Demiurge has cursed him and his lineage. I have determined that the circumstances of that curse are unfair. It was inflicted because Aleph ignored Demiurge's command to kill the unconfirmed Anti-Messiah Daleth, went on his own mission to rescue his imprisoned and brainwashed mother, and then killed three of the seraphs and Demiurge himself. All of these charges are faulty and in no way indicative of being sins.

"There is the commandment not to kill others, namely that humans shall not kill other humans. He obeyed that in sparing Daleth even when Daleth's actions led to the death of Aleph's loyal companion Beth. There is the commandment that one should honor one's mother and father. Aleph obeyed that in rescuing his mother. At that time, the Center had committed a grave sin against him in not reviving Beth when they were perfectly capable of doing so.

"And then, Aleph was anointed as a Messiah to save mankind from those who would control them. I have determined that Yuji is indeed a true prophet called by the Great Will, thus he was qualified to anoint a Messiah, thus the anointing was true. Demiurge and the seraphs under him had designed Millennium to debase and control humanity, to make humans utterly dependent on them. Therefore, it was within Aleph's responsibility to defeat Demiurge and the seraphs who have gone astray, to free humanity from their abusive masters. Do you agree with this assessment that the curse upon Aleph was unfairly given?"

"That would be correct, the curse was unfairly given by the false one," YHVH agreed.

There was a brief silence between them. Satan crossed his arms over his chest and watched YHVH. Meanwhile, YHVH said nothing. Aleph wondered if he was going to be free of the curse that gave him nightmares and left him feeling alone even around others.

Finally, Satan asked, "Then would You remove the curse on Aleph and his lineage since he suffers unfairly?"

"No," YHVH answered.

"Why not?" Aleph asked, hurt by that.

"Because you still destroyed the one you thought was me," YHVH said. "Such hatred and violence against one whom you thought was your Creator is unpardonable, no matter what the circumstances."

"Aleph," Satan said, turning his head to him. "During your encounter with Demiurge, did you believe him to be God?"

Aleph shook his head. "No. Yuji warned me that there was a false God around, one who bore no love for humanity. He also warned me of the seraphs, so I was watchful when Mom and I went to confront the elders. When Demiurge revealed himself, he was so hateful and violent against us that I knew he had to be false. Plus the music around him was oppressive and sharp."

"Music?" YHVH asked.

"Yes, the music that's almost always in my mind," Aleph said.

"You should be aware of that ability to translate a sense for the supernatural into mental music and sounds," Satan said, facing YHVH again. "After all, You claim to be the Creator of humanity and all things."

"It must be something that the humans who made him invented since that is not my work," YHVH said.

"With that, it is proved that you are not omniscient," Satan said. "And it was not something that the scientists invented. It was an ability that manifested in the latest incarnation of the First Man Adam, namely Kazuya." Satan then tapped his head. "And I'm sure that you are aware that the souls of the first man and first woman are affected by changes within their descendants as a whole. They are representatives of humanity. Therefore, something within the shared subconscious of humanity saw a need for such an ability to emerge. Aleph inherited that ability, and he spoke the truth just now. So then, will you remove Demiurge's curse from him?"

"No," YHVH repeated. "Demiurge's claim that he was God was false, but he was an aspect of God. Therefore, Aleph still acted against me in destroying Demiurge and that cannot go unpunished."

"Then if Aleph sinned against you in killing Demiurge, then you sinned against Aleph in all that Demiurge did to him," Satan reasoned. "That would include creating him as a Messiah, then charging him as a false Messiah. It also includes going against the laws of nature in forcing him to grow into adulthood in a single day which ended up in permanent mental damage to him, granting him the power of miracles with the intent on using them for destructive means, withholding the power of miracles from him in his attempt to revive Beth, bribing the demon Abbadon to swallow up Valhalla to destroy..."

"That is not what I mean!" YHVH interrupted. "Those were Demiurge's crimes, not mine."

"Then if those crimes solely belong to Demiurge, the crimes against Demiurge were done solely against Demiurge," Satan said. "You have contradicted yourself. If you will not take responsibility for what Demiurge did, you cannot force responsibly for what was done against Demiurge on others. So, will you remove Aleph's curse since he was fulfilling his role as a Messiah and not committing crimes against you?"

"No!"

Satan pointed at YHVH. "Can you remove the curse upon Aleph and his lineage?"

"That is not important to discuss."

"I am the judge here and I deem that it is very important. Answer my question: can you or can you not remove this curse?"

"I have given my word that I will not remove that curse, so I will not remove it," YHVH replied. "I am the Absolute; I do not go back on my word."

"That sounds like a rash judgment that you didn't think through entirely," Satan said. "But that still does not answer the question of if you can remove it. Answer me."

"I will not answer that question because it is irrelevant."

Satan nodded to that. "Very well, then I will proceed forward under the assumption that you cannot remove the curse. Therefore..."

"I did not say that!"

"But you won't answer the question," he argued back. "And by your own logic, now you cannot answer the question. You can't answer that question and you very likely can't remove that curse. Therefore, you are not omnipotent. If you are neither omniscient nor omnipotent, then you cannot be the Absolute. Therefore, you are also a false God."

"That is impossible," YHVH said. "I am. I am the Absolute. Your judgment is flawed."

"Perhaps, but you do not have one meant to argue for you here," Satan said. "There is also not the one to argue for mercy. Still, you have ordered me to judge you. I am Chaos and Law; male and female; night and day; sea, earth, and sky; human, beast, and demon. I am the Angel of Judgment Satan and I am not finished. Now then, Aleph, you have told us what the music of Demiurge sounded like. What of YHVH here?"

"Do not do so, Messiah!" YHVH insisted. "You chose the path of LAW; you chose to follow me. You must obey me."

As this god had also been proven false, Aleph didn't feel like he had to obey. "I chose to follow Satan because he is Zayin, my friend," he said. "I did not choose to follow you. And, I wouldn't choose to follow you. The music around you is oppressive, with a melody like Demiurge's and a power like Satan's before that got screened out for me to think clearly. If that hadn't been done, this music from you may have destroyed my mind. That is not something I would want to follow.

"Also, as we approached you, it became so dark and cold." Aleph closed his eyes. "This reminds me of being in the Abyss when Satan removed the illusions and we fought Lucifer, but it is much worse than that. I didn't think that being in the presence of God would be like being within the Abyss."

"That is a valid point," Satan said. "This area was designed by humans who saw to it that the rooms should be well lit, but your presence has made them dark. God is light; that is truth. God can withdraw light if He chooses to, but it is uncharacteristic of Him to meet with a new Messiah in a place so dark that it is cursed. You appear to be making everything around you darker and colder, which is not an aspect of the true God."

"You cannot tell me what to do," YHVH said. "You should both be obedient to me."

"You are being judged, so that is excused," Satan said. "I have already stated this. Now, you have stated that you will make Japan into the new Eden. I have seen that when the garden area returns to Earth, the Tree of Life will be there waiting for them. But where is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil?"

"It is a Tree of Death, so it would be detrimental to place with the new humanity," YHVH said.

Satan shook his head. "But it must be in Eden. That was God's decree when He created Eden for humanity. There would be the Tree of Life to sustain the first humans in Eden, blessing them with immortality and the ability to cure anything that may afflict them in their earliest days. But there would also be the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, to grant them understanding.

"As it was explained to me and many other angels by God Himself, free will on a level that humans were truly capable of gave them the ability to be both good and evil. They would be capable of evil far worse than any of the fallen ones could devise, but also capable of good far more than any of us loyal ones. And, they could know a full range of emotions far more than any of us, especially love. Love is not something you can order someone to have; it must occur naturally to be true.

"Since free will was dangerous along with being a wonder, God foresaw even before He was done with humanity that they would inevitably go astray from His law. Thus He saw to it that they got some benefit by granting them some wisdom and knowledge so they could survive a harsher world than Eden. Along with that, He planned far ahead to gift them grace and forgiveness when their civilizations grew enough. He did this out of love, to allow them to reach their full potential on their own. This requires that the Tree of Knowledge be within Eden. So then, where is this tree?"

"It is out there," YHVH admitted. "But it's not important to know where it is."

"He said that the world would be paradise," Aleph said. "If the Tree of Knowledge must be in the paradise of Eden, then the tree might be anywhere in the world."

"That is accurate," YHVH said.

"That is ridiculous, against the original purpose of Eden," Satan said. "Keeping humans the same forever was not God's original intent. You don't even have the love that I remember God having. You are not God; you are an imposter, a false god who has needlessly committed genocide and gone against the true God's will in cruelly handicapping the few remaining humans into being unable to grow. For such severe crimes, you should be eliminated."

Aleph nodded, ready to fight with his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A number of things in this chapter are taken from Christian literature, mostly Paradise Lost.


End file.
